How To Manage Your Emotions During Worrying Times?

The way that you react to situations is down to choice. Everything can be taken from a man or woman but the last of human freedoms – the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.

Stressful situations are common in our modern world, and as a nation, we are going through what could be considered one of the most stressful economic times of a generation, how are you choosing to respond?

Understandably, you may be feeling worried, concerned and unsettled. Still, you must be looking at the emotions you are choosing in response to the situations that unfold and how these may be impacting you and those around you.

Here are some of our top tips to deal with some of the emotions you may be experiencing during these uncertain times.

Minimise how much you are surrounding yourself with worry

If you are feeling worried or anxious about a situation, try and avoid it as much as possible. Can you switch off the news, minimise your time on social media and remove yourself from conversations that may be adding additional worry? Worrying leads to more worry, and that isn’t productive. It is easy to get consumed by worry when you surround yourself with it, so minimise and remove yourself from it as much as possible.

Try deep breathing and re-connection exercises

As simple as it sounds, deep breathing and taking a moment to reconnect with your breath is a powerful strategy to slow your heart rate and calm your mind. Breathe in slowly for five seconds, then breathe out slowly for five seconds. Repeat this five times and as often as needed. So many of us only shallow breath into our chests not allowing our breath to do what it needs to, so take some time to reconnect.

Focus on what you can do to improve the situation

It can be easy to feel powerless and give up during periods of high stress, but what will that achieve? Try and focus on using your time positively and brainstorming ways you can improve or change the situation for the better.

Note down your fears and worries

Writing down your worries or anxieties can be a cathartic exercise and be a useful way of getting them out from inside your head. Schedule a time to address them, write them down and conduct a risk analysis around these things. Consider what actions you can take to mitigate risks or minimise the worry.

Pay attention to how you are feeling and address it

One of the best ways to deal with your emotions is to learn to recognise the signs that they are there and respond to them early on. If you feel yourself getting anxious, worried or angry, don’t let it build and don’t ignore it. Close your eyes and take some breaths. This will interrupt your thoughts and help to put you onto a more calm and positive path.

We all have to deal with negative emotions at times and learning how to cope with these feelings is now more critical than ever. Negative emotion can spread, but so can positivity, and if you choose to remain positive and calm during stressful situations, this can have a positive impact on those around you too.