Handling negative emotions (II)

By: Tunde Jaiyebo

“A man’s cheerful heart gives him strength when he is sick. You can’t keep going if you have a broken spirit.” Proverbs 18.14.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 34.18

Last time we began looking at negative emotions. We have seen that the human mind has the capacity to receive, process information which in turn has the capacity of control.

“Your genes don’t control your life as much as your mind and thoughts do.” Carmen Jacob

Proverbs 23.7 says as a man thinks in his heart so is he.

You must, therefore, not be ignorant, careless, negligent, or nonchalant about negative emotions because they are real and dangerous.

Dangers of negative emotions

1.   They steal your joy – you lose enthusiasm and happiness.

2.   Negative emotions, if not properly handled, usually results in the loss of peace which manifest in anxiety, worry, nervousness and mental stress.

3.   It lowers and eventually destroys your morale and of those around you.

4.   Creates disinterest in your job/the people and you begin to hate your job, people and yourself.

5.   Mental health issues

6. Affects your self esteem. Negative emotions can lead to self doubt.

7. Discontent and dissatisfaction.

How to handle negative emotions.

a)    Understand that it is common to man and everyone is prone to negative emotions.  Do not allow the presence of negative emotions to isolate you from people. Everyone, one time or the other gets into the net of negative emotions.

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“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

“Be sober be vigilant because your adversary as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in faith knowing that the same affliction are accomplished (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.” 1 Peter 5.8-9.

Negative emotion is prone to happen to everyone.

“Negative emotions are a natural part of being human. They can provide important information that helps us understand that something’s wrong. But when these feelings become persistent and overwhelming, they can become a problem that affects our mental and physical well-being. Negative emotions are unpleasant and disruptive emotional reactions. Examples of negative emotions include sadness, fear, anger, or jealousy. These feelings aren’t just unpleasant; they also make it hard to function in your normal daily life, and they interfere with your ability to accomplish goals. It is important to note that no emotion, including a negative one, is inherently bad. It’s perfectly normal to feel these things in certain contexts or situations. These emotions become problematic when they are persistent and interfere with your ability to live your life normally.” Verywellmind.com

b) Acknowledge you have negative emotions.

– Don’t deny it. Don’t justify it.

– Admit it. You cannot solve a problem you don’t admit so identify and recognise there is a problem.