HOW TO MASTER YOUR EMOTIONAL STATES( MANAGING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS LIKE ANGER AND FEAR) Has anyone said to you that you’re too emotional? Does this mean that you’re not emotionally well ? Let’s recall to the last discussion about emotional wellness and how it entails managing negative emotions because having negative emotions is normal as humans. It’s okay to feel emotions like anger and fear because they help tells us when something is wrong, but allowing these emotions get the best of you is not okay so it’s very important to learn how to master your emotions. Mastering your emotions means having a high level of control over your feelings. Basically, mastering your emotions is not about forcing yourself to feel happy instantly, It’s about recognizing that your emotions are trying to tell you something and then focusing on the real problem to solve. Let’s walk through these four steps which you can implement in your life to be a master of your emotions. 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The first thing that we need to do to master our emotions so that they’re not controlling us is to acknowledge our feelings. You need to be self aware and notice these emotions as they come, recognize that it is negative and don’t force yourself out of it immediately but instead, proceed to the next step which is identification. 2. IDENTIFICATION: this steps involves identifying which negative emotion you feel and naming it. Ask the question, what am I feeling now? Do I feel confused, angry or disappointed? You could be feeling more than one emotion at a time, so it’s best you identify it to be able to understand it. 3. UNDERSTANDING: understanding the emotion you feel is important in order to manage it. Understanding it involves identifying the triggers and asking yourself some questions like: What happened to make me feel this way ? How are my opinions affecting this situation? Is what I’m angry about real or am I speculating? What are the facts about the situation? Is it within my control ? When you’ve understood why you feel these emotions then you have to seek for a way to manage it. 4. MANAGEMENT: Ask yourself what you want to do about these feelings? What are the options for dealing with it? Could be going for a walk, listening to music, talking about it, anything that works for you to make you feel better.