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Loading...6 Ways to Find the Positive In Negative Emotions
- AgingCare.com
- August 14, 2012
- 3:00 pm
- 55 comments
By Anne-Marie Botek, AgingCare.com Editor
Do our negative emotions hold the key to living a better life?
The obvious answer may seem to be, no—what could be good about feeling bad?
However, John Sharp, M.D., psychiatrist and author of “The Emotional Calendar,” points out that, it’s impossible to deny that negative emotions play a significant role in the life of every human being.
“It would be nice if we could live in a world where there’s no cause for negative emotions—but that’s not the world we live in. The key is figuring out how we can see them as potentially positive and useful,” he says.
Embrace the undesirable
No one wants to feel sad, anxious, afraid, or angry. This can make it difficult to tease out the advantages of being subjected to these emotions.
The first step to finding the positive in the negative, according to Sharp, is not to let the unpleasantness of an emotion deter you from feeling it fully.
Some people try to evade emotional aches by drowning them with food, alcohol and drugs. Others simply try to deny the existence of painful feelings. In either case, it’s never healthy for a person to reject their natural reactions. “Trying to avoid pain seems like a good idea, but if you’re always running from it, you can make a lot of trouble for yourself,” Sharp says.
Read More:
Gratitude Gives You Wings: 6 Tricks For Rising Above Negativity
Your Life: Pleasantly Purposeful, Or Dull Drudgery? You Decide
Finding and Maintaining Your Personal Space
Read more: Depression, Health, Life, Mental Wellness, Stress, afraid, anxious, emotional wellbeing, feel sad, negative emotions, or angry, positive in negative
AgingCare.com
AgingCare.com connects family caregivers and provides support, resources, expert advice and senior housing options for people caring for their elderly parents. AgingCare.com is a trusted resource that visitors rely on every day to find inspiration, make informed decisions, and ease the stress of caregiving.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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more like take a "hike"
Hoping this little one is in rehab to be returned to it's habitat. Very precious.
I eat a lot of salad meals - thanks for the encouragement!
Ron G, WHO am I referring to?The person living in my body is me. The person living in your body is y…
55 comments
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interesting perspective. thanks for the article!
true
Interesting article, thank you.
Interesting article, thank you.
.. good food for thought
thanks for sharing
Thank you!
thanks for sharing
Emotions could be natural reactions, the thoughts should be assisted.
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