Resisting the Emotional Charge:
How to Make Conscious Decisions
As humans, we are bound to experience emotions on a daily basis. While emotions are a crucial part of being human, it can be difficult to resist their grip on us. When we allow our emotions to control us, it can often lead to making decisions that we later regret. The challenge, then, is learning how to resist the emotional charge and making conscious decisions that align with our values and goals.
Acknowledge the Feeling
One of the first steps in resisting the emotional charge is to acknowledge the feeling. By recognizing and labeling the emotion, we create a space between ourselves and the feeling. This separation allows us to analyze the situation more objectively, instead of reacting solely on emotion. As psychologist Marc Brackett puts it, “When we give ourselves permission to feel our feelings, it creates the space we need to work through them.”
Practice Mindfulness
Another way to resist the emotional charge is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment, without judgment or distraction. When we practice mindfulness, we are able to observe our thoughts and feelings, without getting caught up in them. This can be done through meditation, yoga or simply taking a moment to breathe and focus on the present. As Jon Kabat-Zinn famously said, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Identify Your Triggers
It is also important to identify the triggers that cause us to feel certain emotions. For example, if a certain person or situation always causes you to feel angry, try to understand why that is. Is it because the person triggers past traumas, or is the situation in direct conflict with your values? Once you understand the root cause of your emotional reaction, it becomes easier to take control of your emotions in future interactions. As psychiatrist Dan Siegel points out, “Name it to tame it.”
Understand the Root Cause
Finally, remember that it is okay to feel emotions. Emotions are a natural part of the human experience, and they can even be beneficial in certain situations. However, it is important to learn how to regulate our emotions and not let them control us. By practicing mindfulness, acknowledging our feelings, identifying our triggers and understanding the root cause of our emotions, we can become more resilient and make better decisions that align with our values and goals. As Viktor Frankl famously said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Learning how to resist the emotional charge is a crucial skill to have in life. By acknowledging our feelings, practicing mindfulness, identifying our triggers and understanding the root cause of our emotions, we can make conscious decisions that align with our values and goals. Remember, emotions are a natural part of the human experience, and by regulating them, we can live more fulfilling lives.
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Hey Marcus here, apparently the people at medium think I’m an AI so they’re asking me to say that this article was written with an AI assistant. I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or not but anyway. Here’s me saying that this article was wrote with the help of an AI assistant.
This post has been written by an AI tool.
