Emotional Mastery - Part 3
Methods to achieve Emotional Mastery
This is the third part of a three-part series on Emotional Mastery. The first part serves as an introduction and plants the foundation for these articles. The second part contains ideas on how to realize it when we feel an emotion. I strongly encourage you to read those two parts before you attempt this one, because this article draws on the ideas built in the other two articles and will only be practicable once you have mastered the second part which is realizing when you feel an emotion.
The Body Language
Have you ever noticed how your body language changes depending on how you feel? When you feel positive and outgoing and enthused, your body reflects those. Similarly, you will have a body language associated with each negative emotion as well.
Watch yourself the next time you feel angry or afraid. What are your gestures and mannerisms? What about your posture? Take a deep note of all the subtle changes in your body. Do you lean forward/backward? Do you wave your hands or handle small objects around you? Where are your arms? Do you make any gestures? Note all these.
One way to immediately reduce the impact of an emotion is to change your body language. When you feel negative, immediately force your body to stop its gestures. Make it do positive gestures. Or just make it stop its mannerisms. This will cause a break in the flow of your emotion and its impact will be lowered. Reason will get a chance to break in. But please remember that this is a short-term method and it works from outside-in, not the best way. But it is simple and effective and a great beginner exercise. Still, always remember to graduate to inside-out changes soon.
Breathing
Have you ever noticed how your breaths get shorter and shorter as you give in to negative emotions? Next time you feel a negative emotion, change your breathing style! Take deep, slow breaths. Inhale as you count to 7. Exhale as you count to 10. Long inhalations, longer exhalations. Did you know that sighs are a natural relaxation technique? Give out a deep sigh. This change in breathing pattern works wonders.
Anchoring
Anchoring is a very powerful emotional mastery tool. It is covered in depth in my article here.
Self Talk and Tony Robbins interruption method
Tony Robbins Interruption method is a very innovative method for mastering emotions. The gist of this method can be expressed as follows:
When you are feeling a negative emotion, do something unexpected. For example, if you are at home badly stressing out about the next day’s work meeting, do something outside of your usual response to such a situation. If you usually sit down and worry, then start singing a song! Or clap your hands! Such unexpected actions will cause our mind to break its negative thought pattern. It will cause a sudden ripple in the flow of negative energy in you, and your mind will be shaken free from its grip. Then you can use your reason and positive attitude to get the better of the situation.
Watching your self talk is another important step in emotional mastery. Your self talk can make or break you. When you catch yourself saying negative statements, immediately substitute them with positive, life-affirming self-talk.
Reframe
When a negative situation occurs, you can mentally try to reframe it. Try to see it from a positive angle. Does anything good come out of it? Get creative. Think of how you can make it a positive or liberating experience. Remember that sometimes it is important to get out of your comfort zone and push the envelope on life. Sometimes sudden and drastic changes are necessary to clear the stagnant waters and bring about growth and development. Whenever faced with a negative situation, try to find at least three good things that come out of it. Now think of the situation from these points. It will help changing your attitude and emotions.
Practice
As with everything else, practice makes perfect here too. You need to constantly apply all the techniques described here in order to completely reach a stage of emotional mastery and a peaceful state of mind. Be the power that you are! Wake the giant within you, and realize you are bigger than your problems. Let your mind always be a calm and peaceful lake, not disturbed by every gust of wind that may come its way!
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