I’m the guy some folks find hard to believe at times in that I’m mostly optimistic in my day-to-day life. For me, the glass is usually half full rather than empty.

Even with my positive outlook, there are still days that I find myself forced to deal with negative feelings (or negative people).

LIFE IS A COMPETITION

With my extremely competitive nature, I tend to not like losing. Just ask my siblings about my playing Monopoly as a child (it wasn’t always pretty). As most adults realize, life is filled with choices by others that impact our own feelings, and we find ourselves on the “unchosen” list just as often as we appear on the “chosen” list (if not more so).

How you handle those feelings is the hallmark of a well-adjusted adult.

SURE HARD TO HANDLE NOW

When I’m on the receiving end of something that causes me to experience negative feelings, I usually feel furious out of the gate (of course I do – I’m only human).

As I’ve grown to know myself better, I’ve realized that the only person I’m hurting when I have an emotional reaction to bad news – is myself.

So, what do I do to handle those negative feelings?

• Give it time. Think about if this situation will be different in six months’ time? Will I even remember that it happened?
• Realize I truly can’t win them all and move on. Analyze what my perceived shortcomings were in this instance and how I could improve upon them or how a more positive reaction could have tempered my…well…temper.
• Tune into my feelings and search my inner thoughts to see if perhaps the situation I face is actually a reaction to something else in my life. I think psychologists call that transference.
• Physical activity helps to exorcise (yeah, see what I did there?) those negative thoughts and floods the body with feel-good organic chemicals that help lift the mood. Pair it with my favorite music playlist and see how fast I recover my positive attitude.
• Talk to someone who is detached from the experience so I can get an unvarnished and unbiased opinion on how I am feeling and how to move away from the negativity.
• Find acceptance and realize I can’t change everything. It’s called the Serenity Prayer for a reason.
• Pray and meditate on the situation. God of wonders beyond our galaxy. I’m grateful for that.

Everyone experiences negative feelings at times. It’s how you react to them and the support system you have to work through those feelings that will make the difference in your life.

When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.

Epictetus

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

What methods do you use in your own life to combat negative feelings? Won’t you take a moment to share them with my readers, and hopefully make a difference in someone else’s life?

Be Blessed!