The limbic system of the brain is also known as its emotional centre. It is considered among the oldest part of the brain compared, for instance, to our prefrontal cortex lobe or the “thinking” part. Being a pioneering section of the brain, the limbic system exerts a billion times stronger influence over our mind than the other sections, so are considered creatures of emotions.
Our emotions are like powerful dams that can generate awesome power. Their enormous potentials can either build or ruin entire civilizations, depending on how their power is utilized. The same can be said to human emotions – they can be used to our success or perdition depending on how we manage them.
Managing emotions is dependent mostly on our choices many of us find them uncontrollable. We let them run and dictate our lives instead of the other way round. The best and most efficient tool we can use in harnessing the power of our emotions is our “thinking” mind and our strong determination. However, we should never try to ignore or deny their existence. Otherwise, they bury themselves deeper into our psyche where eradicating would be almost impossible. Stress and anxiety come from suppressed emotions
Here are four simple steps of controlling our emotions effectively:
- Know our enemies
We should be aware of them. We cannot fight a phantom enemy. We would be like going in circles, wasting time and energy shadow-boxing against an adversary we could not see. Our best option is to plan our fights against our unbridled emotions. Let us analyze every emotion we feel, pin them down, and label them. Different emotions require specific weapons to subdue them. If impatience or having short temper is our problem, we should develop the habit of being patient all the time. If it is belligerence we want to overcome, then we must practice great equanimity or calm, etc. By being aware of the destructive emotions we want to conquer, we can develop the opposite habits to counteract them.
- Let us discover why we feel them.
For every result, there is a cause. Our emotions or feelings must be triggered by something. That could be a person, a place, an event, etc. We should look for and analyze the reasons for them. By knowing the emotions we wish to control, we are almost half-way in controlling them. Now, we can avoid those switches that turns on our unpleasant reactions. Understanding our emotions leads to calming them down.
- Let us look for the right solution.
When we know the emotions that sabotage our feelings, we can think of the right solutions for them. We can choose our reactions that will render them harmless or minimize their adverse effect on us. Often times, emotions simulates habits, we follow their dictates almost unconsciously. To counteract these “habits”, we should deliberately develop habits that will work against them. For example, if we easily lose our cool when things do not go our way, we can strive to counteract this feeling by developing the habit of looking at the brighter side of every mishap. Shift our mindset to a positive mode. This is like the case of fighting fire with fire.
Once we are able to harness those strong emotions within us, we will feel more empowered and in control in life, like using the million-kilowatt power of a dam to light up our life!