Today we are considering another aspect of life that affects our well-being: our emotional responses to the things that happen to us.
Some emotional reactions are completely irrational, for example, brass bands always make me cry and I have no idea why! But most emotions, when they surface, give us a clue about our interior life and we do well to heed them.
Does waiting to pull out at road junction for more than thirty seconds have you shouting at the traffic? Does a stray comment from a friend or colleague unsettle you more than it reasonably should? Does someone else's house/car/life-style leave you feeling restless, inadequate or down-right envious.
Controlling emotions is a bit like scooping up jelly with a fork. Emotions can be messy so one way a lot of us 'deal' with them is to deny they exist. This is pretty futile, as they have a way of leaking out in other ways: depression can sometimes be the result of unacknowledged anger.
A much better way to be emotionally healthy is to own up to the emotions you experience but challenge the beliefs that fuel them. Shouting at the traffic is driven by a belief that says 'I must be in control/on time or things will go badly wrong'. Being upset by a minor remark comes from a belief that says 'what other people think about me is really all that matters'. Feelings of envy spring from a belief that 'I am somehow inadequate because I don't drive an expensive car or live in a big house'.
Try to think about the emotions you notice yourself experiencing today. What beliefs lie behind these feelings? Can you challenge those beliefs?
Here are some words you could use that might change the beliefs you hold:
'The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing'. Zephaniah 3:17
Sheila Bridge
No comments:
Post a Comment