For the first four installments of this series see:
- “How I Do ‘It’ — Healthy Eating”
- “How I Do “It” — Exercise
- “How I do ‘It’ — Self Worth”
- “How I Do ‘It’ — Time Management”
I’ve been kind of moody for the last week and a half of my life. Okay, that’s an understatement, especially if you live with me. Charlie has been avoiding me like the plague and has only been cuddling with the Husband because of it.
I’ve felt kind of “eh” ever since I got back from vacation actually. Some can see a correlation between the two, but I refuse to admit that my traveling adventures for this year are over. Last week I felt “off” the entire week. My stomach hurt, I was irritated, I had a headache every day, and I felt like I could sleep forever. While some (of YOU!) thought it was due to a bun in the oven, I can assure you it is due to the allergies my general practitioner claims I “don’t have”. This whole “poor air quality” isn’t just an L.A. thing anymore.
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This week, I have climbed out of the allergy hole and have been just plain irritated. Because of my whole new patience goal, I have not been coming back with smart aleck remarks. I have actually been keeping my mouth shut, thinking about what I want to say, and then saying it (sometimes it’s still not so nice, but at least I’m thinking it through this time). This has led me to be really frustrated.
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Frustration is one of those emotions that I absolutely 100% without a doubt dislike. The feeling of frustration can make me yell, scream, and cry all in about 5 second. Frustration is the hardest emotion for me to deal with on a regular basis. Unfortunately this is a trait I have learned over the course of my life from an example that was shown to me as a child and is not something I am proud of.
Last night, I went to be frustrated. I woke up frustrated. I had a few moments where I thought, “$@#:&*, I should have stayed in bed today.” After spending wasting about five hours of my day being frustrated, I decided enough was enough. How did I deal with my frustration?
- Got my sweat on. When I start to feel irritated or mad, my first reaction is to go use up all my frustration by working it off. I first discovered this correlation in high school when I had a fight with a boyfriend right before swim practice. That day was the best swim practice of my life. I used up all my anger in the water. Today, all it took me was a 20 minute BodyRock workout (um, hello HARD!) and a 3 mile run for me to start feeling positive again. Sweating = Endorphins = Feeling good.
- Face the issue at hand. I know exactly what is irritating me right now, and I know exactly how to deal with it. Why I haven’t done it already is beyond me, but consider it done now. By facing the situation that is making me have negative feelings, I feel 100% better after.
- Spend time with a hobby you love. Sometimes, I just need to get my mind off of my frustrating issue and forget about it. To do this, I usually spend time in the kitchen. I cook, I wash dishes, I sample recipes. While spending time in the kitchen may not be soothing to all, I sure feel good doing it.
- Sing it out. While I might not be the world’s best (okay, even a decent) singer, listening to music always makes me forget what I was angry about. When I got home from the gym this morning, I put on a favorite Pandora station and belted it out. Thankfully I was the only one home at the time.
- Surround yourself with others. A one woman pity party is not fun at all. When I get into one of my moods, I would much rather sit at home, be by myself, and not talk to anyone for the entire day. Sounds healthy, right? I know that being around people always makes me feel better though. Even if I don’t talk about what’s bothering me with them, I can usually take their happy/positive feelings and apply them to myself. Today was nothing a volunteer session at the Vegan Cafe couldn’t fix!
- Understand that having negative emotions is a part of life. I’m sorry, but if you are happy 100% of the time, I applaud you, but I know I also can’t be like that. I have good days and bad days, just like the majority of the people out there. While I wish I could live in a land of sunshine and rainbows all of the time, it’s unrealistic for me to think like that!
After all of that, I feel a lot better and my frustration is pretty much put to rest. Dealing with negativity is something we all go through from time to time, but it is how you deal with your emotions that counts.
Question: How do you deal with unwanted/negative emotions? What is a strategy that has helped you?
Disclaimer: Please remember
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