How To Ride The Waves Of Emotions Without Being Dragged Under
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Have you ever experienced something that scared the day-lights out of you, but it turned out to be something completely different that what you thought? Then you had one of those moments when you just had to laugh at yourself (or may slug the person who startled you).
It was a dark and stormy October night...
Oh, no wait, it was just dark, but it was in October. My best friend and I were playing in my room when all of the sudden we saw something outside my window. I looked again and it was gone. Wait, there it is again! It was swinging back and forth, back and forth. Was that a head? No. Is that a knife in someone’s skull?! It was swinging–swinging–swinging. Petrified, we went screaming out of the room sure we’d just seen a disembodied head swaying outside the window. Our hearts were in our throats beating a million miles a minute. That couldn’t have been real could it? We must have been imagining things. NO, IT WAS REAL! I swear it was real. We couldn’t possibly react like that if it wasn’t real, right?
Well, come to find out my big brother and one of his buddies borrowed a wig head. They thought it would be funny if they stabbed it with a chef’s knife, poured ketchup all over the wound and swung it from the roof top outside my window. Ha, ha, ha. Oh, the joy’s of big brother’s with a sick sense of humor.
My friend and I were convinced it was a severed head, so our emotions and bodies reacted just as if it really was a severed head even though the reality was far from it. But, boy, it sure felt real.
How could a completely harmless wig head dressed up in a condiment and cooking knife cause us to react as if our lives were in serious danger?
Day-in and day-out our emotions are telling us things. They are reacting to the input around them. Somedays we feel up and some days we feel down. But, can we always trust what we feel? Are emotions always accurate?
Emotions are biochemical carriers that provide feedback on our current mood. They can't be totally trusted, but they shouldn’t be denied out right either.
Emotions allow us to feel what we’re thinking.
Just like when my mind thought I saw a disembodied head swinging outside my window, and because I thought that, my emotions responded as if I was really seeing a severed head outside my window. Emotions respond in kind to what we’re thinking on, and what we’re thinking on effects our moods.
Negative emotions reveal that your mental health is suffering just like physical pain shows that your body is suffering.
When we have aches and pains, it’s our bodies way of telling us, “something is not right in here.” Just as our bodies tell us when something isn’t right through the pain we feel, our emotions can reveal to us if we’re thinking on things that are causing us to feel bad emotionally.
Remember, emotions are just biochemical carriers that give us feedback on our current mood.
Tony Robbins said, “All your emotions are nothing but biochemical storms in your brain, and you are in control of them at any moment in time.”
How do we strengthen these “biochemical storms” (emotions) so we’re not dragged under by the waves (or whims) of negative emotions?
“When your interpretations change, your emotions change.” – The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry
The path of emotional strength begins with a change of focus. When you change your focus, you change your emotional life. The exciting part is you’re in control of what you focus on!
“Because you can control your thoughts, you can strengthen your emotional life.” – The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry
That means you’re not a victim of your emotions. You get to shape them by the way you think.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Philippians 4:8 is what I like to call, “To Think List.” This gives us a base line to compare our thinking to so we can make sure what we’re thinking on is going to help us strengthen our emotions. This is what we need to focus on.
As you go about your day and your emotions start to get the better of you, stop and ask yourself these questions:
What am I thinking on?
Is it true?
Is this thought noble (honorable)?
Is this right (just)?
Is this a lovely thought?
Is it admirable?
Is there anything excellent or praiseworthy about it?
If you’re answer to any of these questions is “No,” then you need to change those thoughts–change your focus. Once you realize those thoughts aren't lining up with God's Word, change them.
How do I change them you ask? Choose to.
Choose to start thinking on things that are true (Hint - look to God's Word for the truth). Choose to think on something that is lovely in your life. Choose to think on something honorable, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.
We get to choose what we’re thinking on. As we choose right thinking, that will direct our emotions in the right direction.
I love this quote by Andy Andrews in The Seven Decisions, “First we make choices. Then our choices make us.”
As you continue to change your focus, watching carefully what you’re thinking on (See our “To Think List”) you will strengthen your emotions and you will be able to ride those waves of emotions without them dragging you under.