How to Control Your Emotions
7 cool tips to improve your emotional intelligence
Once there lived an old man who kept all different kinds of animals . But his grandson was particularly intrigued by two tigers that lived together in one cage . The tigers had different temperaments ; one was calm and selfcontrolled whilst the other was unpredictable , aggressive , violent , and vicious .
" Do they ever fight , Grandfather ?" asked the young boy . " Occasionally , yes they do ," admitted the old man . " And which one wins ?" " Well , that depends on which one I feed the most ."
Being able to control your emotions depends in part on how much you ' feed ' a particular emotion ; on how much we focus on what we are afraid of , enraged by , or depressed about . But it ' s more than that . Good ' emotional intelligence ' requires we understand our own moods , recognising when and why we are upset and having very real strategies in place to be able to influence the way that we feel . So if you ever find yourself tossed around helplessly on a hysterical tumultuous sea of emotion and want some ways to at least adjust your sails , the better to steer your own course toward calmer waters , then read on , dear reader .
1 ) Control your emotions by looking ahead
I recall an old Zen master saying : " Your anger , depression , spite , or despair , so seemingly real and important right now ; where will they have gone in a month , a week , or even a moment ?" Very intense emotions blind us to the future ( 1 ) and con us that now is all that matters . In fact , when we are incredibly angry or anxious , we can even momentarily forget that there is even going to be a future . I ' m reminded of one guy I worked with who ' d stuffed an ice cream cone in his boss ' s face when he was enraged . This momentary action had huge and prolonged consequences on this man ' s life ; particularly finances . We ' ve all said or done things we later regret simply because , for a time , we let ourselves be dictated by our own emotion . If you get angry , think to yourself : " How will I feel tomorrow if I lose my dignity and tell this person ( I have to see everyday ) that they have a face like a cow pat ?" If you are