You don’t have to be emotionless to master your emotions. Instead, you want to cultivate the ability to regulate your temperament and achieve your desired outcome consciously. You might be unaware of it, but you always have the option to practice self-control and manage your emotions. Sadly, people often resort to less sustainable quick fixes to mend things, but blocking unwanted feelings can also mean excessive subconscious turmoil, leading to negative behavioural traits.

But what if you learn about more effective ways to master your emotions? Try these five proven strategies from NextThought and start to see the difference.

1.) Regulate Without Repressing

You want to bury feeling a certain way to avoid unwanted emotions, but you only prevent yourself from the experience you need to process. By suppressing or repressing your emotions, you become more vulnerable to mental and physical health symptoms like anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.

That’s why it’s important to make sure that you’re not just sweeping your emotions under the rug. A healthier approach involves reaching that balance between zero to overwhelming.

2.) Keep a Balanced Body Budget

Eat healthily. Exercise regularly. Sleep adequately. You’ve heard it all before. Still, the consistency behind this science proves true by how it’s become a prerequisite for robust emotional health. In learning how to master your emotions, you must also consider improving the other aspects of your life. Think about the mental and physical aspects, as well.

3.) Name the Feeling

Pause and check in with yourself. Ask yourself, ‘what am I feeling right now?’ By identifying what you feel, you can separate the emotion from yourself, gaining better control over it.

Think about it this way. Instead of saying, ‘I’m anxious,’ simply try ‘I feel anxious.’ When you consider possible alternatives and reframe your thoughts, you can better modify your initial reaction to certain matters.

It might take some time, but practice can help turn this response into a habit.

4.) Accept Your Emotions

Have you ever asked yourself to calm down? Or say things like ‘It’s no big deal,’ and ‘Don’t freak out’?

It might seem like you’re doing an excellent job with your self-control at first, but what you’re doing is downplaying your feelings and invalidating your experience. If it’s a big deal to you, know that it’s valid and okay to feel that way. What you can do instead is accept your emotions as they come. This practice will help you get more comfortable with them, increasing your threshold around intense emotions.

Eventually, you’ll be able to feel emotions without resorting to extreme, unhelpful reactions.

5.) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Have you tried self-regulation methods but are still struggling to stay in control? It’s okay to become depleted at some point, but you can still prevent yourself from lashing out. When you’re starting to feel overwhelmed or frustrated, it might be the best time to work with a mindset coach. If you would like to learn more about our services at NextThought, contact us today and we will be in touch shortly.