5 Emotional Control Techniques
Have you ever reacted to a person or situation in a particular way and later regretted the manner in which you handled it? Did you let your emotions get in the way of making good decisions? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Emotions such as anger, sadness, anxiety and fear can cause people to act rashly and make decisions they wouldn’t otherwise make.
The choices you make regarding your future are far too important to let emotions get in the way. Making decisions regarding your future should be handled while you are relaxed and confident rather than emotionally high or low. These emotions can interfere with your ability to think clearly and rationally.
So how do you control these emotions? How can you deal positively with their effects and bring yourself under control? Below are five powerful techniques for emotional control that have been proven to work.
1. NLP Swish Technique
The NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming technique called the Swish, is a very popular emotional control
technique. In the Swish, you are taught to replace an unwanted thought or response with a more appropriate and useful one, thus redirecting your thought process. You are sending a message to the brain that essentially says, “Don’t do that, do THIS.”
This is a valuable technique that teaches you to manage your own thinking and consciously change the wayyou react to various situations. Each time you use the Swish, you are training your brain to switch or re-direct from harmful emotional responses to solutions that are well thought out and rational.
Using the Swish
1. The first step is to develop your own Replacement Feeling. Ideally, how would you like to act in the face of stress? Use visualization to clearly see yourself experiencing this new feeling.
2. Discover the trigger for the unwanted mood. Ask yourself. “What seems to always occur immediately prior to the stress I feel?”
3. While viewing the unwanted image in your mind, insert the replacement feeling into the corner of that picture. If the undesirable image was a post card, look at the healthy replacement feeling as a stamp in the corner of the card.
4. Now Swish the two images. Slowly allow the replacement feeling to grow and gradually take up more of the post card. Continue until the new feeling is the primary and foremost image.
It takes practice, but regular implementation of this technique will help you become more relaxed and empowered in the face of stress and negativity.
2. The Sedona Method
The Sedona method is a technique geared to help people let go of unwanted feelings and emotions and replace them with more positive ones. It is performed using a series of questions meant to help increase your awareness of the present moment.
Most experts will agree that when people are frustrated they act in a frustrated manner. The same is true of other emotions. Using the questions promoted by the Sedona Method, people are able to clearly define each situation for what it really is and act accordingly. The ability to alter the way things are perceived can reduce stress foster confidence.
3. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping
The technique known as EFT Tapping has been around for quite a while, and many swear by the results. Simply stated, it involves tapping various parts of the body—wrist, eyebrow, cheek, etc—while uttering certain statements aloud. This technique is thought to alter normal reactions to stimuli and promote healing. The tapping is thought to release the power within—a power to help make calmer more productive decisions.
4. Visualization
We can change the way we will react to a stressful situation simply by seeing it first. Picture yourself reacting calmly and confidently in a situation that normally causes you distress. Give the picture as much detail as possible, making it look truly achievable. If you train yourself to see positive results before they happen they have a much better chance of materializing.
Tips for visualization:
· Find a quiet comfortable place
· Clear your mind and breathe deeply
· Create a clear picture of what you want to happen
· Recognize distractions and let them go
· Repeat often
5. Freeze Framing
Think of the thoughts in your head as individual frames in a movie. What would you do if you could freeze one particular frame that caused you distress?
The Freeze Frame technique allows you to do just that. With your eyes closed picture a frame that has given you emotional trouble and freeze it. While the image is in your mind, breathe deeply and recognize each breath. As you begin to relax, you will find you are able to deal more appropriately with the emotions that scene produces. Picture yourself acting calmly and decisively in the face of troubling thoughts or events.
Meditation Made Easy
Meditation has been practiced for years and is a valued component of several different religions. More recently though, meditation has been used outside of traditional religions for the psychophysical benefits it offers. Here we will take a brief look at meditation: the definition, how it’s used and the benefits.
What is Meditation?
The word meditation is derived from two Latin words: meditari, which means to think, dwell upon or exercise the mind; and mederi, which means to heal. It is not, as many believe, simply a prayer or form of worship. To meditate means to become aware. Simple activities such as fishing or watching wildlife could be considered meditation as long as these activities are free from any outside or inner mental distraction.
The techniques involved in meditation have become widely popular. The health benefits associated with meditation have helped spread this popularity. Through meditation one tries to achieve awareness by ridding the mind of everyday thoughts and focusing on the “here and now.” The various techniques involved are known to improve concentration and relieve stress, creating a happier and more confident self.
How to Meditate
There are several different forms of meditation, but all of them have the same goal in mind: to focus on the present moment and improve self-awareness. Many mediation experts agree that this awareness will come in hierarchal stages as the meditation progresses, but as a beginner it’s best to keep it simple. You can get started by following these simple steps:
1. Choose a quiet place and sit comfortably. Remember to keep your back straight. This will help facilitate breathing and focus. Place your hands comfortably on your knees or in your lap.
2. Clear your mind and begin taking deep regular breaths. Breathe deeply, inhaling with your nose and exhaling with your mouth. Feel the breath fill your stomach activity.
3. Now you are going to focus on your breath and your breath only. If another thought comes into your mind, recognize it and then get back to your breath. The goal here is to think about nothing. Focusing on your breath will help to clear your mind.
4. If you wish, you can use a mantra to help keep your focus. Different religions use different mantras for this purpose. For example, Christians often use phrase such as “Jesus is Love,” repeated over and over to help them concentrate only on their breath.
5. Continue this for 10-20 minutes focusing only on your breath. If you feel distracted, recognize the distraction, and continue your measured breathing.
Meditation Benefits
Meditation allows you to focus on the moment and the moment only. Regrets about the past and worries for the future can create harmful stress and keep people from maximizing their potential. Mediation will help quell these worries and help you to become more relaxed and alert. Below are some of the common and most widely reported benefits of mediation:
Meditation is:
1. Accessible. Meditation is always accessible. It can be done at home or the office whenever you wish, and can be done alone. You need not drive across town and waste half the day at an appointment.
2. Free. It won’t cost you a thing.
3. Easy to learn. Just follow the simple steps above. Every time you engage in mediation you can improve.
4. Healthy. Meditation is used to help treat a variety of conditions by providing the simple opportunity for focusing on the present. Among the conditions are:
· Stress
· Anxiety
· Insomnia
· Pain
5. Empowering. Many people and corporations are using meditation as a way to improve self-esteem, focus and productivity. By eliminating stress and increasing awareness, individuals are learning to lead fuller lives.
Start today and see if it works for you!
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