Managing Negative Emotions

It is genuinely difficult to imagine living even a single day without experiencing any emotion at all — emotions are woven into the fabric of daily life and every relationship we have. Because poorly managed negative emotion can affect both psychological and physical well-being, effective emotion management is an important key to functioning well socially in modern life. Several general strategies are useful for managing negative emotions. Enhancing self-awareness means paying attention to one's own emotions and feelings and trying to understand the 'how' and 'why' behind them. Appraising the situation objectively rests on the idea that emotion is preceded by an evaluation of the event — if an event is appraised as disturbing, the sympathetic nervous system activates and stress follows; if it is not appraised as disturbing, no stress results — which means, in a real sense, that a person decides for themselves whether to feel anxious or to stay calm. Self-monitoring involves regularly and honestly evaluating one's own past accomplishments and emotional and physical states; a positive appraisal built this way strengthens self-confidence and a sense of contentment. Self-modeling means treating one's own best past performances as a personal ideal and source of motivation for the future. Perceptual reorganisation and cognitive restructuring means deliberately choosing to view a difficult event from a different angle, and consciously replacing negative thoughts with more reassuring, constructive ones. Beyond these more cognitive strategies, it also helps to develop a creative interest or hobby; to choose friends carefully and nurture good relationships, since the company of happy, cheerful people tends to lift one's own mood; to practise empathy, both offering and seeking support in relationships; and to participa …