Transforming negative emotions

Today, I would like to write about how to deal with negative emotions. There are, of course, a variety of ways to encounter negative emotions. Today, I'm presenting one of the many paths that has often helped me.

Emotions are always a result of a thought to which you have allowed entry into your mind. A thought that you believe and that is active within you will produce an emotion in you. If you believe that you can simply stop thinking your negative thoughts, you are mistaken. In most cases, you will not succeed. At best, you can try to think of something pleasant. But even this approach often does not lead to success. Additionally, it does you little good to stop thinking a negative thought once it has been thought, as it is now active within you as truth and leads to negative feelings.

It is advisable to take a closer look at the thought and ask yourself if something in your life is calling for change. In this case, the thought and the associated negative feeling may have a justification that should be taken seriously as information. Once you take a negative feeling as information seriously and take appropriate steps to change, you will feel better, even if a situation cannot be changed immediately. The will to examine a circumstance and to react with actions is enough to make you feel better.

There is another very helpful approach to dealing with your thoughts. Most people see a thought as a point in their consciousness. But actually, a thought more closely resembles a cube with six sides that you can turn and twist. By this, I mean that there is not just one truth, and you should question your thoughts. Byron Katie has developed a very useful tool for this with "The Work." In her book "Loving What Is," she describes how you can question your thoughts with four questions. I have applied this method successfully countless times in conversations with people. In doing so, I have learned two things. Firstly, a thought is never the only truth, and secondly, our thoughts say more about ourselves than about the world we judge. Here, the truth applies that the world is a reflection of ourselves.

Your thinking is shaped by your so-called filters within you, which have been formed by upbringing, environment, school, friends, experiences, and countless other factors. Everything, truly everything, that happens in the world is initially neutral. It is only through an observer and their evaluation that it becomes something good or bad. By questioning your thoughts and allowing yourself to play with them, you can find a new, better reality and learn something about yourself. Additionally, "The Work" is one of the best methods for personal development. If you would like to learn more about it, I highly recommend Byron Katie's book "Loving What Is."