Emotional Mastery - The Subtle Art Of Acting In Spite Of What You Feel

“When you react, you let other control you. When you respond, you are in control.”― Bohdi Sanders

Do your emotions rule you, or do you rule them out? Is your inner child constantly acting out, or do you have the upper hand on his next move? Each of our emotion serves a purpose, and while it is crucial to be attentive to what it is that this specific emotion is trying to tell us, it is also equally important to know what to do with it. In today’s world, we’ve conditioned ourselves to live on impulse, act on impulse, buy on impulse, take important decisions on impulse, you name it. Cheating on discipline with instant gratification is our lifestyle of choice.

We don’t observe our thoughts and our emotions in an objective manner - we rather identify ourselves so much with them that we mistake them as our identity. And if anyone dares to threaten our sense of identity, you better get ready for a beautiful clashing match to take place. We’re kids acting out in adult bodies, throwing tantrums when we don’t get our way, and blaming others for inadvertently pushing our emotional buttons. The blame is never ours to take.

Yet we may have lost somewhere the awareness to realize that it is not others per say who trigger our weak spots - it is rather us, in the first place, that let those fragile parts of ourselves out in the open, asking to be felt. While our emotional reactions are mainly unconscious, we still hold the power to choose whether or not we will let those reactions play out.

People can’t control your emotions - unless you let them. Gotta keep these impulsive little guys on a tight leash! By staying in touch with each emotional dimension of your life, you can commit to understanding better how you may let those very emotions get the best of you in specific circumstances. It’s important to remember that you are not what you feel. You are what you consent to feeling. And if the way you feel does not correspond with the way you would like to feel, then you may demand yourself why you feel the way you do. And most of all, what is this way of feeling is telling you about yourself and about your needs.

By choosing to treat our emotional realities in a non-judgmental and compassionate way, we can better respond to others in the same way. By opening the door to our own fragile inner child, we open the door to be as warm, caring and welcoming to the wounded inner child of the ones closest to us.