This is about regulating and influencing emotions. Many individuals naturally regulate their emotions in ways that are useful and sufficient. If you look at the news any day of the week it can be apparent that many individuals use poor decision making that is at least partly attributable to emotional states. Influencing and regulating one’s emotions can help one to make fewer poor decisions. Regulating emotions can help one to think more clearly. That is what this somewhat free form piece is about.
Utilizing emotional regulation strategies can be useful. Engaging in emotional regulation strategies can be a good way to influence one’s emotions on the short term. Problem solving is a good way to regulate emotions on the long term. Distress tolerance is basically being able to sit with distressing emotions without doing anything to make life problems worse. Not engaging in behaviors that will make problems worse can be a good way to help regulate emotions over the long term.
Acceptance is a good strategy that can both help one to engage in distress tolerance and emotional regulation. Emotions can be difficult to influence. However, in almost all circumstances it is possible to influence one’s own emotions. Thinking can influence one’s emotions. Behaviors can also influence one’s emotions.
Engaging in potentially enjoyable activities can be a good way to influence and regulate emotions. Engaging in activities that are distracting (from problems or distressing thoughts) can be a way to influence emotions.
Persistently engaging in activities that have a potential of solving problems in life can be a good way to regulate emotions. There are many ways to potentially regulate emotions. Hopefully all humans on Earth will be able to successfully regulate and influence their own emotions to a significantly useful and functional degree.
Being social can be a way of feeling good. Helping others can be a good way of feeling good. Exercising neither too much nor too little can help one to regulate emotions. Eating a diet that is healthy and balanced can probably also help one to regulate emotions.
Money can contribute to happiness and it can be useful when solving problems. Earning some money at least, to a certain point, can be useful when trying to develop tools, tactics and strategies for regulating and influencing emotions. There may be more peace on Earth once more individuals are able to take on more personal responsibility for regulating and controlling their own emotions.
Experiencing happiness a majority of the time is probably possible for most all humans. I state this because I believe that regulating and influencing feelings and emotions is a skill that can be developed. Just like playing guitar can take years to master, regulating and influencing emotions can take some time to become decent at once the right strategies and tactics for doing so are employed consistently and repetitively.
