5 ways to deal with negative emotions

 Smile. There is something absolutely magical about a smile. Try this for yourself – next time you are feeling blue, or red-hot with anger, SMILE. That’s all. Just force a smile onto your face. Did you know it’s physiologically impossible to have bad feelings if you are smiling? I realize it sounds a bit silly but seriously, try it. It really works. If you wake up sad, stressed or angry, smile at yourself in the mirror first thing, in the morning. Just stand there and smile at yourself. Make yourself do it even if you don’t want to. Hold that smile until it’s genuine. Hold that smile until… You know what will happen? You’re going to burst out laughing whether you want to or not! ANY time you feel bad, just smile. A smile that is genuine lights you up. It’s a physical action so in harmony with Love that it can’t help but make you feel better.

Learn to respond instead of react Take a moment to pause and consider what just happened instead of just instantly reacting to new information or a new situation. By taking a few seconds to pause and consider, you can calm yourself briefly and you will be likely to produce a better response.

Focus on what you can control Once you have been presented with a stressful or emotional situation, try to identify what you can and can't control. If something is done, you can't change it. You can only determine what to do now. You can control your response, and to a certain degree, you can likely control what happens next. By focusing on what you can control, you are empowering yourself. By dwelling on things you can't control, you dis empower yourself and make yourself more frustrated and more stressed.

Do what you love Do what you love. When you’re immersed in some activity you’re passionate about, and you’re really focused on what you’re doing, you can’t feel bad. You just can’t. Doing what you love uplifts you in so many ways! Do it, and do it often. You’ll be generally happier and more able to cope with life’s monkey wrenches when your life is meaningful and when you are doing what you love.

Give it a minute and a half. When a negative emotion hits you, be aware that it takes just 90 seconds for it to pass through your system. From the time your limb system generates the emotion to the time that chemical reaction dissipates, is a minute and a half. IF you simply feel the emotion – and DO NOT get involved in the thought that generated it by repeating “I feel (angry, sad, etc.)” - it will pass and you’ll regain your equilibrium. Don’t say “I AM (angry, sad, etc.).” You are not your emotions! Try that, next time you have a sad or upsetting thought. Repeat to yourself how you are feeling but don’t allow yourself to stray from that focus. Don’t think about what made you upset.