Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: 7 Ways to Freedom from Anxiety, Depression, and Intrusive Thoughts (Training, Techniques, Course, Self-Help) by Wallace Lawrence

Author:Wallace, Lawrence [Wallace, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-30T18:30:00+00:00

How to Change Negative Emotions into Positive Ones

A study conducted recently by researchers at the Ghent University examined the regular habits of about 100 innovative professionals. The study concluded that professionals who started their day with negative emotions, but finished it with healthy ones experienced the most creative output, and their most productive and efficient days were the ones that started with some type of negativity.

This does not mean you need to be forcefully negative at the start of your day. It simply means that you need to channel negativity into positive activities similar to what these professionals did. This will increase your effectiveness at completing your goals and moving through life positively. This is about setting yourself inspiring goals, but offsetting them with realistic and even negative emotions. Through doing this you will be prepared to confront obstacles in your life and thrive in spite of them. Here’s how to change negative emotions into positive ones.

Use Negative Emotions as Fuel: Perceive negative emotions such as anger or depression as a form of fuel you must burn during the course of the day, using this fuel to do something positive. For example, you’re first reaction at being denied to speak at a convention could be anger or frustration, use these emotions as a source of motivation. Burn this anger by doing something useful and productive, turning your energy outward, as these emotions can become toxic if ignored or turned negatively inward. A good idea in the above instance may be using the anger to write a speech and then present it at a webinar. This way, you will be utilizing your negative emotion for something positive and increasing your productivity in the same breath. David Burkus, author of ‘Myths of Creativity’ validates this technique by stating that returning to a challenging problem when you are feeling hopeless or angry is the best time to enhance your output.

Change Shame into Kindness: If you’re experiencing shame and this feeling deeply humiliates you, convert it into compassion. Normally, we tend to experience shame when we try hiding our flaws or avoiding our fears. To turn this emotion into something positive, build greater connections and association with others. This helps you become kind towards yourself, as well as others. Brene Brown, author of ‘Daring Greatly’ states that shame increases when you isolate yourself, but it can never survive empathy, which is why you need to be around people and be compassionate towards them to overcome this feeling. It’s also important to realize shame is almost never a helpful emotion and is best switched to guilt. Why? Because guilt implies the opportunity for change and self-improvement. Whereas, shame implies an inward self-loathing which serves no other purpose than self-pity. Self-compassion when dealing these emotions is vital, as it allows us to forgive ourselves and others and move forward more easily. It reveals insight into how other might be feeling, giving us a better perspective on life and those around us.

Turn Loss into Gratitude: Another negative emotion we tend to go through when suffering from a mental or emotional disorder is loss.

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