Pop Goes the...

You know that sense of frustration that makes you want to snap? Yeah, that one.

I’m feeling that way right now.

Normally my posts aren’t like diary entries. “Today I felt sad. It washed over me and left me empty as I stared out a window and wondered how that person could do this to me” and so on and so forth. Most of the time I have this generally unemotional thought about something faith-related and roll with it.

Not now. I’m annoyed.

That’s Just the Thing

Hearing some people, they actually like negative emotions. They enjoy feeling irritated, angry, sad, annoyed, etc. They just wallow in it.

I’m not that way.

No, when I experience a negative emotion, I don’t like how I act because of it. I find myself saying or doing things I normally wouldn’t say or do. I lose self-control when I’m experiencing this feelings.

Because of this, I always try to get rid of negative emotions. I’m going to tell you how I deal with these things, and maybe they can help you:

• Thank God in prayer for the person who is annoying, saddening, or angering you. Go a step further and mention specific positive attributes about that person. The saying “you can’t stay angry at someone you pray for” is very true, but I’ll even take it up a notch. “You can’t stay angry at someone you thank God for and whose good qualities you think about when the thought of that person comes up.”

• Vent to someone. Now, be careful! Venting easily devolves into gossip… which makes you no better than the person annoying you! Be vague and stay big picture while venting. Me writing right now is a form of venting; I’m venting to you!

• Do some physical activity! It’s great for relieving stress and focusing on something else. Go on a walk or punch something. Hard. Just get outside.

• Put things into perspective. In the moment, the emotion we are experiencing seems like this biggest thing ever. But given time, we put things into perspective and realize it may not be so terrible after all. We still have a family, a house, a bed, a life, and a Savior. Not bad, I must say.

Will life always be fine and dandy? Of course not. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time for everything, from joy to sadness.

But when life punches us in the face, we have a choice. We can wallow and sulk in whatever negative emotion engulfs us, or we can do what we can to pick ourselves up as soon as possible.

What are you going to do? Do you have ways to make yourself feel better when people annoy you and life is frustrating?

I feel better already.

#Emotion #AQCFaith