Managing Emotions – 5 Exercises

Not all of us are ready to face our emotions. Most often, we have not been taught the important skill of managing and dealing with emotions.

Fortunately, there are effective exercises to  control your emotions . They will make it much easier for you to measure your feelings.

In today’s article, we’ll teach you 5 techniques and exercises that you can use whenever you need to. Remember that training makes perfect. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to control your feelings.

So don’t forget about regularity!

5 exercises to help you control your emotions

Today we take a look at five simple techniques that we have selected as proven and effective ways to learn to control your feelings.

While psychologists have developed a ton of different exercises and training, we know that these five methods are proven and working methods for promoting mental health.

1. Practice full concentration

Mindfulness is about stopping, staying still for a while, focusing on the breath, and observing it neutrally.

• Full attention is an exercise that we can do every day. Stop for five minutes. Sit back or lie down – choose a position that makes you feel more comfortable. Focus on your breath and deepen it.
• It is not about clearing the mind. Rather, it is about observing your feelings and thoughts from a neutral position. Just notice, don’t judge. Let your thoughts flow freely.

Practicing mindfulness is especially useful when we are experiencing a difficult situation, such as an argument. It is a good idea to stop for a moment before answering the interlocutor. This allows you to change your perspective to a calmer and healthier one.

2. Record emotions in a journal

You may find it funny at first, but the emotion diary is a very important and effective tool. If you don’t already have one, start a diary today.

• Writing has therapeutic value  and helps us see emotions objectively. We can also calmly and methodically analyze them on paper. Over time, you will see which emotions appear most often with you. This will allow you to find ways to deal with them.
• Keeping a feeling diary will also help you see the progress  you are making in managing your emotions.

In addition, any time you experience a mood-worsening feeling such as sadness, you can use the journal to deal with it. Saving will help you feel more confident and take control.

3. Managing emotions is the ability to focus on something else

The next exercise on our list is based on the technique of redirecting your focus to other issues. When you’re furious, you surely know what for. You start to think about it more and more, and the feeling of anger only increases.

• At times like these, you should have a keyword that will allow you to end these growing harmful feelings. It could be the word “enough” or “stop.” Choose any word that works for you.

• After you’ve calmed down, write down the negative emotion and write its positive counterpart next to it. For example, in the case of anger, it can be joy, peace, or a feeling of contentment.

This exercise may seem ineffective at first, but you will find that even a little calm will make it easier for you to control your emotions. By being a little less angry, you will have room to reflect on your own behavior and you will calm down more. Try this technique!

4. Take time to worry

It’s a strange proposition, isn’t it? Usually, we worry much more than necessary, but when someone offers us to worry at certain times and take it as a task, it sounds strange. But it’s actually a very good idea.

• There are people who exercise emotional control in this way. They set aside time each day to think about and worry about problems.
• After this time is over, these people resume their tasks and put worry aside. Worries may go away, but they can also last for a long time. Even so, they should not be thought of until the next day’s appointed time.

This is a great way to avoid worrying about new problems all day long. As a result, we do not work efficiently and we feel worse and worse. Putting your worries aside allows you to take control of them.

5. Quickly look in the mirror!

You can even use a cosmetic mirror and have it with you at all times.

• Look at yourself in the mirror and smile.  You may not feel like smiling at all… but smile anyway. Continue this exercise for 2 to 5 minutes without taking your eyes off the mirror.
• With this exercise, you will come back to reality and be able to look at the situation more objectively. In addition, you will effectively calm down.
• Thanks to a smile, your body will produce endorphins even if it is forced. So you will be able not only to control negative emotions, but also to recall positive ones.

Emotions that should not be suppressed

These positive exercises for managing your emotions are useful. But don’t turn them into a distraction from negative feelings in order to suppress them, ignore them, or forget about them.

Running away from your feelings, suppressing them, or ignoring them is not the answer. The emotions will come back sooner or later. However, our exercises will help you get to know yourself better and discover which emotions are bothering you.

Have you tried these techniques and exercises? Which worked best? Remember that you can combine them and use them interchangeably!