Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Negative emotions are usually negative reactions to thoughts. They are also learned. For example, if you’re not a morning person, it could be that you just memorized emotions from the first time you ever had to wake up early. If your initial response to waking up early is to be cranky, then you’ve likely memorized that emotion, each time you arise early. If you repeat it enough, you teach yourself to be bitter every time you have to wake up early. But emotional patterns can be recreated. If you want to create a new emotional response, you have to imagine what that new emotion is like. Could you imagine being a morning person, without any help? Maybe not, but you can at least imagine what being a morning person is like. You could imagine what behaviors a morning person exhibits, and practice those new behaviors. With new behaviors would follow new emotions.
Emotions give you the false impression that if circumstances were different, so would your reactions to them. Actually it’s the opposite. If you could imagine new emotions and begin to associate them with new behaviors, then the quality of today would drastically change. Negative emotional reactions to your routine behaviors, and past patterns don’t have to be permanent. The daily grind is not keeping you from your happiness. Today is not keeping you from your future happiness, either. Happiness is now, and it cannot be postponed, unless you’re stuck in your head, thinking of the past or future. If you’re irritated, you are simply holding today’s potential for happiness hostage by overthinking. Remember that your negative emotions are optional, but today is not. Taking advantage of today means using it as an opportunity to embrace new behaviors that reflect a better emotional disposition. Don’t let the opportunity slip, by being stuck in yesterday’s woes or tomorrow’s concerns.