Replacing Negative Emotions

         Our minds have the ability to manufacture hundreds of chemicals that can help us feel better. When we replace negative emotions (destructive and illness-promoting) with positive emotions, we produce our own pituitary effect.

        An optimal balance is created in our endocrine system, along with the thought “I feel good.”

         Healthy, well-adjusted people rarely fear rejection. Their opinions of themselves are healthy enough to realize that feelings of rejection do pass. And their confidence in their ability to form new relationships makes the pain of loss a temporary condition.

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           Depending on the situation – the loss of a loved one, a relationship coming to an end, a lost sale, a promotion awarded to someone else – the intensity and durations of the feelings vary. The need to react positively and manage them, however, remains the same. Regardless of the situation, the healthier you are physically, mentally, and spiritually, the easier and faster you will move beyond it.

         Suppose at work you are given an urgent and difficult task to perform on a very tight schedule. You now have a choice.

          You could reason, “There’s no way I can finish this on time. It could mean my job.”

         Or, instead, you could reassure yourself in this way: “I usually figure a way to get jobs done. I’ll do the best I can.”

           The first response helps nothing. It merely creates anxiety. The second response produces feelings of relative calm. You accept yourself and your abilities.

           It’s common to blame situations and others for our feeling. We blame our poor state of mind on the traffic, the weather, our parents, and the boss: “My father gave me a complex”; “She makes me so angry”; or “That really upset me.” But we alone have power over our emotions because we choose our thoughts.

            This process is not easily managed; I grant that. But we can train ourselves through positive and repetitive behavior to become better.