by Cestiny Crowther
All emotion is important, even anger. Ponder with me…. If we were never supposed to feel any range of emotions, then they likely would never have come into existence. Each stage of an emotion has an appropriate time and place. We need to be aware when our anger turns into rage, which becomes dangerous if it also consumes us!
For a long time that was a hard one for me. My anger was always brimming, ready to spill onto people around me. It escalated to compensate for all those times I held it in, ignoring my need to express myself. I would put on that smile and pretend like everything was perfectly fine. Once I unleashed my anger I would then feel remorse which then turned into anger at myself. It became a vicious cycle. Through experience, I’ve learned that dealing with my emotions in a healthy and consistent way is worthwhile yet hard work.
To discipline ourselves on how to manage and express our emotions respectfully starts with recognizing what we are feeling. Triggers make this process difficult for me. By identifying my triggers I am one step closer to controlling my emotions in a healthy way.
We have all the tools necessary to manage our thoughts. We can and should be disciplining our minds to accept and appreciate ourselves. What we think of ourselves typically affects everything we say and do, as well as everyone around us.
Writing is an effective tool for learning to manage my thoughts. For me, writing time is essentially a form of prayer time. When I don’t write or pray enough, I lack in self-control. Through writing and prayer, I can identify new opportunities for personal growth. I can identify unhealthy thought patterns and work to create better thought habits each day.
Closing thought: One of my favorite music artists “Plumb” has a song with this line, “it only takes one drop”. One drop inside of us creates a ripple outside of us and that ripple can and usually does end up coming back to affect us, and it affects all the people in its path! Everything starts in the mind. So I ask myself throughout my day, “Is this a good drop or a bad drop? Am I ready for the ripple to come back to me?”
May you enter into the new year with a new perspective on the power you have to change your own mind in a positive way! It’s not easy, but it is worth it!