Managing Strong (and Hard!) Emotions in the Moment

I have always been a very emotional person. I’m a Pisces, if that gives any context…

Sometimes, my emotions can be so strong - leading me to (unwarranted) conclusions, uncontrolled outbursts, and at times, self sabotaging behaviors.

As a child, I would cry till my head hurt. As a teen, I’d throw verbal tantrums. But as an adult…my inability to control my emotions has led me to damage relationships and sometimes even harm myself.

I assume I’m not alone in this experience. No one teaches us how to control our emotions. It seems sensical that this would be discussed in schools, in the same manner we teach sexual education or human biology. This would have been helpful for many of us.

Nevertheless (one of my favorite words!), we see generations of people with unprocessed emotions. We use vices - like sex, drugs, and alcohol - to mask the difficult emotions we feel but won’t admit to.

We lash out against our family, friends, and unlucky strangers without even knowing it. Later, we sit with regret — or not. But there’s always consequence.

So, how do we manage strong emotions in the moment? The ones that take over our being before we even get the chance to process…

• My favorite method is meditation. Meditate daily, so you’re already in the habit of recognizing how you feel and quieting your thoughts. Whenever strong emotions hit, take a moment to pause. Meditate. Quiet your thoughts as much as you can and simply focus on your breathing. This will help.

• I also like to pray and recite affirmations. I simply pray for peace and recite, “I am calm. I am in control of how I feel.”

Remember, feelings are fickle. How you feel in any given moment can change within the next.