Four Principles to Healthier Emotional Management and Resiliency

Emotional situations often lead us to lose our cool, reacting in ways that break trust with ourselves and others. Unlike the animal kingdom, humans possess the unique ability to control and manage their emotional responses. Those adept at emotional awareness and regulation tend to lead happier, longer lives with better relationships. If you're seeking to enhance self-confidence and influence, learning mindfulness principles for healthier emotional management is a powerful journey. Here are four principles to cultivate healthier emotional management, flexibility, and resiliency.

1. Increase Your Emotional Self-Awareness

Embrace the fact that blaming external factors weakens your ability to improve emotional responses. Self-awareness involves focusing on actions, thoughts, and emotions, aligning them with internal standards. Your emotions are yours; projecting them onto others weakens your position. Increase awareness of how thoughts, emotions, and actions influence you. Pay attention to feelings, identify triggers, and learn from experiences.

2. Suspend Your Thoughts by Defusing, Not Fusing to Them

Embrace thoughts without emotionally fusing them. Emotional reasoning tricks hinder progress; diffusion involves noticing thoughts without attaching more thoughts. Name your thoughts, let them float like a boat on a river. Avoid fusing with thoughts; instead, understand and defuse them.

3. Give Your Emotions Space, Air, and Time to Recover

Create emotional space, allowing emotions to exist without controlling them. Provide emotional space to recover, similar to aiding someone physically fallen. Don't fuse to thoughts; creating space lets emotions dissipate naturally. Emotional distancing allows psychological presence, living in the moment, and responding consciously. Notice where you feel emotions in your body, take deep breaths, and stay present. Don't amplify emotions with emotional reasoning; let them dissipate naturally.

4. Respond by Choosing Your Highest Principles, Purposes, and Goals

Proactivity involves decisions based on principles, purposes, and goals, while reactivity relies on mood or circumstances. Responding based on principles builds character, leading to a better future and relationships. Proactive responses are contagious, fostering trust and influence with others. Once emotions subside, choose actions aligned with your highest values. Responding proactively enhances character and influence.

Embrace these principles to navigate emotional challenges, foster resilience, and build healthier relationships.