Many feelings are strange things that surface at the worst times. In the middle of a great day, it can strike and cause your good mood to tailspin, feeling abandoned or terribly isolated. As if no one loves you. What brought that on? Hard to say.
A trivial phrase, image, sound or smell can uncover the deeply hidden triggers of our feelings. We thought we had that handled. How dare our feelings do that to us! We all have feelings, much as we don’t want to admit it. We think we are so smart, so hidden, so in control. Guess again.
We’re not responsible for what we feel or where it comes from. It’s part of the patchwork that is all of us. We cannot control the triggers, either, but we can control what we do with our feelings. We can feel them, let them roll over us and turn us into a jerk, who takes it out on everyone who crosses our path. When you allow that to happen, you are definitely not managing your feelings.
The key to emotion management is positive thinking. Hard to believe? Not really. There are negative emotions in all of us. Some reactions we have to memories of are those we saw growing up. If our parents became angry and ranted while raving, chances are we might do that. I did that for a while. It was what I saw many times. Then we repeat the behavior.
How much better to accept things are not working correctly, and choose to remain calm, and find a positive thought. Make that positive thought your focus. You will become better able to deal with situations that bring up terrible memories, and learn to take positive action until it becomes a habit. You can conquer it.
You have learned how to act instead of react. It takes practice and confident. I can manage emotions with positive, consistent action. This is the definition of emotional management.
The Babe did a tremendous favor for me today. I purchased a couple of bookcases, and he put one together. It was a nearly all day project. The pieces were too heavy for me to hold in place while he pushed the parts together. And, if I ever think I can get down on the floor, sit cross-legged, and hold a shelf in the air while the Babe secures it, would you remind me of my aching knees, my inability to get up from the floor easily and of my inability to get down on the floor? It’s crazy how our minds make us think you can still do them. In my brain I am 25, but the body is nearly 70! That sure sets me back. I’ll have to think about this.
At any rate, I’m putting all the random books purchased in the past five years together in one shelving unit. I’ll share a photo of the spot in the bedroom. I love the way it invites me to sit and read a bit. The other day, I worked on catching up with my read the Bible in one-year program. Yes, a lot of it is repeating, yet it still makes in impression. Over the last 20 years, I’ve joined many Bible Studies. They may have been parts of the Bible, or one book. Intensive study, watching video and reading. A lot of reading. I’ve enjoyed the process, learning more each time.
I’m reading a fascinating book, a true story, “My Life with Karma.” The man tells his story. It’s a story of an alcoholic, abusive father, and the abuse Travis Sackett endured. Also, it’s a story of his life and experiences with opioid addiction. It’s a story of how he became a functional addict until he had to break the law. I am about half finished with it, and I find it fascinating. He was a law enforcement officer, and he criticizes the training of police. Specifically, training to handle a person who is non-compliant to verbal commands, (put your hands up, sit down on the curb, put your hands in the air,). He criticizes the next step being using some sort of force. I will finish the book before I form an opinion on that subject.
Have a beautiful evening. I’m going to finish cooking dinner and might put some more books on their new home. They are all books I have not read yet. (p.s. Don’t tell the Babe!). I cannot wait to have the other smaller bookcase ready, then the three tall bookcases. All my photo albums, wedding photos, and quilting books. Like old friends at a reunion. I look forward to it. Thank you for reading today, and we will see each other tomorrow! Take care.
Kathy Raabe 