The emotional management skill is defined as the ability to recognize, acknowledge, and successfully control feelings in oneself (and sometimes others). Emotional management simply refer to the capacity to control one’s own emotions.
However, contrary to popular misconceptions, just being receptive to one’s thoughts and feelings isn’t adequate for developing emotion management skills. You must have complete control over the thoughts and feelings that arise whenever your values are impacted by a person’s or an event’s actions. This is often important because it is the shift in your ideas and feelings that allows you to adjust your emotions and avoid reactive outbursts.
So this post will help you achieve that in no distant time.
What Are Emotions and How Do They Affect Us?
Simply put, emotions are referred to as feelings. But to begin to comprehend your feelings, you must first ask yourself two questions:
- What am I thinking?
- What evidence do I have?
However, every other individual have feelings. So while being conscious of your own feelings, you should be aware of the feelings of others.
But one of the most popular questions is often; How do I know how others are feeling?
We can discern how others are feeling in a variety of ways, but one of the most effective is by monitoring what they say and how they behave, including their body language.
According to studies, more than 80% of communication is nonverbal, meaning it is communicated through body language and facial expression. And because many of us don’t often talk about our feelings, especially when they are strong, we prefer to convey them more via our body language.
The Brain and Emotions
Emotions are not something that can be easily controlled. The limbic system is the region of the brain that deals with emotions. This portion of the brain is thought to have evolved rather early in human history, making it quite primitive. This explains why an emotional response could be often simple but extremely powerful: you want to cry, flee, or scream.
It’s because these reactions are motivated by a desire to survive.
Emotions and memories are inextricably linked. If you’ve had a poor experience before, your emotional reaction to the same stimulus is likely to be intense.
Furthermore, emotions and values are inextricably linked: an emotional response could indicate that one of your core principles has been questioned.
Understanding the connection between memories and values is crucial to controlling your emotional reaction. Your emotional responses may or may not be related to the current situation or to logic, but you can overcome them by using logic and being aware of your feelings.
What is the Significance of Emotional Management?
Imagine yourself in one of these situations: you’ve been working hard for weeks on a project only to find out it’s been canceled, or you’ve been handed a slew of additional responsibilities when already overburdened, or the most usual scenario: your spouse shouts at you and publicly disrespects you. These types of stressful scenarios, as well as others such as mood swings and disappointments, are all too typical in relationships.
The main question is how do you handle such tense circumstances. Could retaliating by yelling at your partner, hiding in a corner and feeling sorry for oneself, or distracting oneself by playing games or speaking with friends assist in keeping a healthy relationship? Of course, the response is a resounding NO!
Such actions have a negative impact on your relationship as well as your efficiency and productivity in general. As a result, managing emotions is a crucial ability for a successful and healthy relationship. It helps you in controlling your reactions by downplaying one feeling when it isn’t appropriate and highlighting another when you feel the work can’t be done without it.
How to Master and Develop Emotional Management Skills
The best methods to strengthen emotional management involves the following actionable steps; Stop, dump, and process.
#1. Stop:
This is the most difficult of the three steps since it requires a lot of willpower. This literally means you should halt in your tracks and analyze the next time your emotions are so strong that you feel hijacked by them and have a strong impulse to do something you may later regret. Begin by looking out for signs, as well as the thoughts and feelings that have exacerbated the action.
#2. Drop:
Now that you’ve completed the most challenging part, do something that will help you relax. You may never be able to think clearly and sensibly unless you reduce the intensity of your emotions.
#3. Process:
At this point, you’ll be in a better position to consider everything and respond appropriately. First and foremost, identify the feelings you’re experiencing. For this purpose, it is preferable to keep tabs your emotions. After you’ve pinpointed exactly what you’re experiencing, consider where it came from and why you’re feeling that way. When you have the answers to both of these questions, you can make a more informed decision about the best course of action, keeping your ultimate goals and personal beliefs in mind.
Read Also: CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES: 13+ BEST EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH EXAMPLES
Positive Actions to Assist You in Managing Your Emotions
There are a number of additional steps you may take to help you better manage your emotions. Many of these are pretty general, but give them a shot since they could just work.
#1. Exercise:
This releases dopamine and other pleasure chemicals to the brain, making you feel better. Being physically fit also makes you healthier, which aids with emotional management.
#2. Be Kind to Others, Because This Helps Stop You Worrying About Yourself
Be open to what is going on around you and accept it. Learn to enjoy what is going on and refrain from over-critiquing persons or situations. This is related to mindfulness, which is defined as being aware of what is happening right now.
#3. Have a Good Conversations
Enjoy the company of others by spending time with them.
Furthermore, distract yourself from the situation. Watching a little TV, reading a book, or surfing the web will almost certainly make you forget that you were feeling bad.
#4. Don’t be Swayed by Negative Thoughts.
If you’re having negative ideas, confront them by seeking for proof to refute them.
#5. Spend Time in the Fresh Air
Being outside in the fresh air, especially in the presence of nature, is quite beneficial for soothing the emotions. There’s evidence that we need to see horizons, so if you have the opportunity, go up a hill and take in the view.
#6. Be Thankful
Remember to thank individuals in person for doing wonderful things for you.
#7. Make the Most of Your Abilities
This frequently entails doing things you enjoy, but it also means doing things that are beneficial to your health.
Applying Reason to Emotion
As previously said, you have the ability to alter your feelings. The trick is to be aware of your emotional reaction and to comprehend what is causing it. That way, you’ll be able to apply logic to the scenario.
For example, you might ask yourself the following questions concerning various actions:
- What am I thinking about this situation?
- What am I going to do about it, in my opinion?
- Is this action in line with my core values?
- What impact would that have on myself and others?
- What else might I do that would be more appropriate?
- Is there anyone else I might talk to about this who would be able to assist me?
This allows you to use logic to analyze an emotional response before reacting.
For Example:
Let’s say you’re terrified of the dark since you were once locked in a dark room as a child.
Because of your previous experience, you constantly have an emotional reaction to the dark. However, you can tell yourself that you are an adult and that there is nothing to be afraid of. It’s as simple as walking over to the lamp and turning it on.
You may progressively retrain your limbic system by doing this, which will assist your brain comprehend that there is no reason to be afraid.
Emotions and Decision-Making
When making decisions, you can use logic, emotion, or a combination of the two.
Emotional decisions are often viewed as being made in the “heat of the moment,” yet emotions play a larger role in most decisions than we realize. If you’re married, you’ll know that deciding whether or not to marry takes a lot of consideration. Few, on the other hand, would argue that the decision is completely based on reasoning.
Both reasoning and emotion are used to make the greatest decisions.
If you just employ one or the other, your choices may be unbalanced or ineffective in meeting your emotional demands. Instead, you should weigh your emotional reaction with more rational factors.
This can be accomplished by:
- Stopping before making a decision to give yourself time to consider your options.
- Consider how you’ll feel if you take each alternative option.
- Think about what might happen as a result of your decision, as well as how it might effect others. Would you be satisfied with those results?
- Take some time to consider your options before making a decision.
- Examine the decision in light of your ideals. Is it appropriate for them? Why, if not?
- Consider what a trusted friend or family member would say about your choice. Are you satisfied with this?
- Finally, think about what would happen if everyone did the same thing. It’s usually preferable not to do something if it’ll be a disaster.
Emotional Management FAQs
Why is emotional management important?
One of the most essential abilities you can have is the ability to recognize and manage your emotions. People who are adept at identifying how they feel and being able to calm down or alter their behavior are more likely to succeed in life, have healthy relationships, and deal with setbacks.
What are 3 ways to manage your emotions?
- Name your feelings.
- Reframe your thinking.
- Participate in a mood-enhancing activity.
