Managing your emotions in a way that they are beneficial and helpful in the way you handle certain situations does not come with our birth. It is something that you have to acquire, learn, nurture throughout your life and something you can work on continuously improving. How you get to that point is important. You can start by letting thoughts that are not benefiting you go, but accept those that do, even if they are painful. Mistakes that happen should also be embraced, and you need to do so with compassion and understanding.
Key Takeaways:
- Trying to escape painful emotions makes your brain think it is dangerous to feel bad.
- Self-criticism is discouraging and should be replaced with kindness and encouragement toward yourself.
- Often feelings are unhelpful, so let your values guide you instead.
“Emotionally intelligent people understand when a situation can benefit from more thinking and when it will only make things worse.”