Re:Processing Emotions
by kerkeslager on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @09:54AM
(#14796477)
I'm afraid of falling when I'm rock climbing. If I followed your advice and quit rock climbing instead of managing my fear, I'd have missed out on the best experiences of my life over the last year.
Emotions are temporary, more temporary than our long-term goals. If we allow emotions to control our actions, we become unable to pursue goals which require any significant process. Sometimes you have to not pursue someone you love in order to preserve existing relationships. Sometimes you have to stick with a job you hate to build your career. Inability to pursue long-term goals is not the path to happiness.
Further, emotions may not even allow you to achieve short term goals. Love says go for it, but fear says rejection will be devastating. Hate says quit your job, but depression says quitting will change nothing. Obeying your emotions is not always a freeing action.
Of course sometimes the easiest way to process an emotion is to act on it, and sometimes that's okay. But let emotions fuel actions that take you in a direction you want to go, rather than letting emotions dictate the direction.
Emotions are temporary, more temporary than our long-term goals. If we allow emotions to control our actions, we become unable to pursue goals which require any significant process. Sometimes you have to not pursue someone you love in order to preserve existing relationships. Sometimes you have to stick with a job you hate to build your career. Inability to pursue long-term goals is not the path to happiness.
Further, emotions may not even allow you to achieve short term goals. Love says go for it, but fear says rejection will be devastating. Hate says quit your job, but depression says quitting will change nothing. Obeying your emotions is not always a freeing action.
Of course sometimes the easiest way to process an emotion is to act on it, and sometimes that's okay. But let emotions fuel actions that take you in a direction you want to go, rather than letting emotions dictate the direction.