What Is the Best Way to Manage Your Emotions?

Hint: it’s neither suppression nor full disclosure

Hint: it’s neither suppression nor full disclosure.

Photo by Colin on Unsplash

Emotions are a fundamental part of who we are.

As long as we have a brain, we will experience varying types of emotions. We want to enjoy them, but we also suffer from them. We try to conquer our emotions but, most of the times, we end being their slaves.

As Oscar Wilde said, “I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”

Some people believe full-disclosure will bring us peace — if we release all our emotions, we’ll be fine. Others think that suppression is the way to go. If we don’t leave room for them, emotions can’t conquer us.

That’s the problem with emotions: the more we try to control them, the more we fail to manage them effectively.

Releasing all your emotions can backfire — it creates a feedback loop that magnifies, rather than diminishes, negative emotions. Bottling up your emotions make things worse — eventually, you’ll blow up.

Should I Stay or…