Learning how to place emotions in their proper place is one thing therapy can help with. Emotions are important as they give us information about how we are interacting with our environment making it important to not turn them off.
I have heard it said that emotions make awful masters but great servants.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy suggests that all our feelings have messages, so it is important to give them a voice. Below I have outlined a way to do this that can be done in your head, while you are talking to a supportive person or in your journal.
Steps to Putting Emotions in Their “Proper Place:”
- Identify the emotion. You can do thy by saying something like… “I am feeling… because…”
- Take a moment to identify what that emotion is trying to communicate to you. Is it trying to give you a bit of information about an experience, do something different than what you are doing currently, or warn you about something?
- After giving the emotion room to communicate to you take a moment to acknowledge the message and assure your emotion that it has been heard and will be able to “come along for the ride” only if plays by your rules. So do you need this emotion to be less intense, treat you with respect, not do a certain action etc. Setting boundaries with your emotions just like you would a person can make it easier to be in its presence.
If anything comes up for you when you use the above process please feel free to connect with me and/or leave a message.
Warmly,
Dr. Shyra