Negative emotions - Cause and Reaction.

Have you ever reacted to something in anger or sadness and then looked back and had to ask yourself why you were even reacting in the first place?

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Before blowing up on someone with an issue or reacting out of pure emotion, try this.

Write down the reason you are reacting and be specific. What set off your emotion. Then go one step further and write down how that kind of emotion feels to you.

Read what you wrote and then walk away from it for 30 minutes. Read it again.

Too often we react out of emotion on the spot and say things we don't mean to say. Not enough thought goes into the reaction.

Putting space between the event and the expression of it is sometimes all it takes for me to gain perspective and communicate more clearly about my feelings.

If I find that I feel foolish reading my own reactions if I can't justify my reaction to anyone outside of the person I'm upset with - I try to set it aside or find a calm way to talk through my feelings.

I've lost too many days and nights of my life to premature reaction to things.

What do you do to dispel negative emotions?