Focusing on your strengths, meditating and eating healthy help to keep negative feelings under control.

Sometimes, feelings are overwhelming and we can’t control them. This can happen at certain times in our lives, because of certain circumstances or without any real reason.
In both cases, emotional intelligence is the key to the best possible development in different areas of life, and is a very effective tool for overcoming obstacles and improving personal relationships.
Not everyone has the same level of emotional intelligence, which is the ability to identify and control one’s own emotions and those of the people around us. According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, the more emotional intelligence we have, the happier and stronger we will be and the better our personal relationships.
Six tips for controlling your emotions
Although no one can avoid negative emotions, we do have highly effective tools for managing them in the best possible way. Learning about our emotions makes us stronger in the face of challenges, helps prevent problems like anxiety and depression, and can prevent drastic mood swings.
The following tips can help you control your emotions and prevent them from getting the better of you:
Remember your strengths. When you feel a negative emotion, try to limit how much it affects you by thinking about what triggered it. Then, remember your strengths and good qualities. There are probably many more of them than you think.
Learn to relax. Techniques like meditation, mindfulness and conscious breathing help you to control impulses and stay calm. Ditto for introspection. When you look inward, you can identify the source of your problems and address them more effectively.
Lead a healthy lifestyle. Emotional health is directly linked to habits. That makes eating a healthy and balanced diet, doing moderate exercise on a regular basis and getting enough sleep essential.
Try to put your worries aside. Take some time to remember the good things that have happened to you. Close your eyes and concentrate on them. After you take this moment to press pause, your negative emotions are likely to be much less intense.
Keep a journal of your emotions. Writing down your deepest feelings helps to keep negative thoughts from coming back.
Take a look in the mirror. This is a very useful strategy. Seeing yourself reflected in a mirror helps you tap into self-awareness and see yourself from a more objective perspective. It is during these moments looking at your reflection that you can separate yourself from your emotions.

Sources:
Aprende a controlar tus emociones. August 2023. La mente es maravillosa.
Cómo controlar las emcoiones: 10 técnicas que funcionan. Habilidad Social.

This post is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)