Steps to deal with negative emotions as a student
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“It is not a person or situation that affects your life; it is the meaning you give to that person or situation, which influences your emotions and actions. Your choice is to change the meaning you gave it or to change your response, in order to create the outcome you want.”
– Shannon L. Alder
We swim through all kinds of emotions as we attempt to navigate the river of chaotic world. Emotions are normal and important part of our lives. Emotions are like laps, impossible to avoid. In order to win, you have to deal and cross them. But it’s not a race; you can take your own time for the game and life, both are yours.
Emotions like happiness, joy, excitement, love, gratitude can all contribute to positive feelings while sadness, anger, loneliness, self-criticism, or rejection can be difficult and even painful at times; especially then, when we dwell on them for too long.
There are number of steps that could help you deal with negative emotions. Few of them are listed below:
- Recognise the emotion: Learning to observe and recognise your feelings comes with time. Additionally, along with concentrating on your feelings, check in with your body, too. You might feel body sensations with certain kind of emotions- maybe your face gets hot, for example, or your muscles tense.
- Accept your emotions as natural: Don’t criticise or judge yourself for the turmoil of emotions you feel. Just know that it’s absolutely normal and acknowledging them will actually help you move on.
- Express your emotion: Emotions are meant to be flushed out. So, think of the ways to express it. Is this a time you need to confront someone? Do you need to need talk over what you are feeling with a friend? Or work off the feeling by having a workout session or by going for a run?
- Learn how to change your mood: It’s quite imperative to be able to shift from a negative mood into that of a positive one. Try doing things that make you happy, even if you don’t feel like at the time. For example, try watching your favorite movie, go for a walk, have your go-to meal, do things that could lift you out the negative space.
- Build positive emotions: It’s not up for question that positive feelings invigorate a sense of happiness and well-being. Make it a habit to notice and appreciate little things in life- no matter how little or big. Noticing the good things even when you’re sulking can help you shift the emotional equilibrium from negative to positive.
- Visualise your ‘best possible self’: Other than directing all your attention on the negative emotion or what you’re doing wrong, visualise instead on what you would like the behavior to be? What does the best possible version of you would do in the given circumstances? How would they react and act? You can practice this as a mental visual exercise. This will not only turnaround your mood but can also be beneficial in how you approach the similar scenario next time it comes around.
- Take a break: Know when to take a day to yourself. If you are continually undergoing negative emotions and struggling to manage them, take a day to reappraise. Stuff this day with positive experiences, doing the things that you know fuel you and make you feel good. This sort of break can help to straighten your thinking, give you some space to redirect on why you might be experiencing the negative emotions, and come up with some positive coping strategies.
