Today’s post is something that most of us can benefit from – we look at the different ways negative emotions affect you as a person. Negative emotions relate to any feelings that cause you distress, sadness, or simply feeling beside yourself. These emotions can make you feel angry or resentful, envious or jealous, and can slowly eat away at you unless you acknowledge and address them.
It can also make you dislike others and even yourself, impacting your self-esteem, confidence, and overall life satisfaction. It’s completely normal to have negative feelings, but they can dampen your enthusiasm for life, depending on how you let them affect you and the way you choose to express them. Here are examples of how negative emotions can affect your life and you as a person.
Different Ways Negative Emotions Affect You
Negative Emotions Can Lead To a Downward Spiral
Holding onto destructive emotions prevents you from acting and thinking rationally, and not seeing situations from the right perspective. When this happens, you tend to focus only on what you see, feel, and remember. This can stand in the way of your happiness because it only prolongs the grief and anger without letting go.
Dealing with negative emotions in the wrong way can exacerbate the issue and cause you to handle it completely wrong – in some situations, this anger can manifest into violence. Letting go and forgiving the person can make you feel lighter, happier, and free. Forgive someone not for their sake, but for yours.
Emotions Are Complex
Your emotions are complex and involve various physiological and biological processes in your body. Your brain responds to thoughts by releasing chemicals and hormones, which send you into a state of arousal, whether negative or positive.
Emotions are multi-faceted and in many cases it’s hard to deal with negative feelings, making it challenging to cope. That is why it’s imperative to recognise your emotions and thoughts and be aware of the effect they have on not just one another, but also our behaviour, bodies, and relationships.
Poorly-Managed Negative Emotions Can Impact Your Physical Health
Negative feelings of hopelessness, bottled-up anger, and helplessness can generate chronic stress, which distresses your body’s hormonal balance, damages your immune system, and reduces brain chemicals needed for happiness.
Chronic stress can even lower your life expectancy. Repressed anger or resentment is also linked to health conditions like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, infection, and digestive issues.
Forgive And Let Go
Forgiveness means completely acknowledging and accepting an adverse incident and letting go of negative feelings surrounding this event. Research reveals that forgiveness helps you experience advanced emotional, physical, and mental health.
The Importance of Gratitude
There is a definite relationship between gratitude and joy. Being thankful and acknowledging the good aspects of your life can have an immense impact on your emotional wellbeing. It can make feel lighter, happier, and even positively affect your sleep cycles.
Positive Feelings Can Make You Emotionally Resilient
Positive emotions can counteract the adverse effects of unrelenting negative emotions. Nurturing positivity can help you become more resilient in the face of stress or crisis. Think of it as a rubber band – if you are emotionally resilient, no matter how far you are pulled or stretched by negative emotions, you have the ability to bounce back to your original, happier state.
Resilient individuals can experience tough emotions like frustration, pain, grief, or sorrow without having an emotional breakdown. They acknowledge the feelings they are experiencing but retain a sense of positivity that makes it easier for them to overcome the adverse effects of the situation. They can even look at these challenging times with hope and optimism, knowing that they can lead to a new outlook on life and personal growth.
How To Handle Negative Emotions
- Try not to blow things out of proportion by keep playing it over and over in your head.
- Imagine yourself in the other person’s shoes and be reasonable – did your reaction make the situation worse and could you have handled it better?
- Accept that bad emotions are sometimes unavoidable and focus on things that can help you feel better.
- Focus on doing things that trigger positivity – spending time with a friend, gardening, reading, or listening to music.
- Acknowledge your negative emotions and learn from it – what trigger these emotions and how can you prepare for it in advance?
- Let go of things that are in the past – constantly reminding yourself and reminiscing over these events can only prevent you from having peace in the present.
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post about the different ways negative emotions affect you as a person. These emotions are sometimes unavoidable, but acknowledging them, learning from them, and letting go of them can make you a happier and healthier person, not just emotionally, but also physically.
Sending you much love, light, and positive vibes!
Anthea