Believe it or not we can often actually change our emotions by choosing to engage in some sort of behaviour or activity that is the opposite of how we are feeling. If you’re feeling up to the challenge, try a little experiment.
Next time…
Next time you are AFRAID, do whatever it is that you’re afraid of, with gusto (and within reason, of course).
Next time you feel ASHAMED, continue doing the thing that makes you feel ashamed over and over again… and in public. You might be imagining that if you do this you will likely die of humility, but last time I checked, that rarely happens.
Next time you feel DOWN or DEPRESSED, do something active (like a run, a walk, a bike ride, a swim) or do something that you know you’re good at. It’s amazing how creating even a small opportunity for our own success can feel really good.
Next time you feel ANGRY, walk away from the anger inducing situation, or even try being a little nice… it’s pretty hard to be unkind to someone who is showing us grace and compassion in an emotionally charged situation.
As simple as this all sound, when we find ourselves in the heat of the fire we will likely NOT feel like going through with any of the above experiments. But if we’re able to get ourselves past thinking that we always have to do exactly what we feel like doing we might actually start to feel… dare I say it… happy.