Our emotions allow us to have a giddy rollercoaster ride of sensations – from happiness to sadness, from elation to anger. Often referred to as the barometer of the soul, emotions are the filters through which we experience our world.

Different people define emotions in different ways. Some make a distinction between emotions and feelings saying that a feeling is the response part of the emotion and that an emotion includes the situation or experience, the interpretation, the perception, and the response or feeling related to the experience of a particular situation.

“Emotions are human beings’ warning systems as to what is really going on around them.  Emotions are our most reliable indicators of how things are going on in our lives.  Emotions help keep us on the right track by making sure that we are led by more than the mental/ intellectual faculties of thought, perception, reason, memory.” – Dr. Maurice Elias

“Emotions operate on many levels.  They have a physical aspect as well as a psychological aspect.  Emotions bridge thought, feeling, and action – they operate in every part of a person, they affect many aspects of a person, and the person affects many aspects of the emotions.” – John D. (Jack) Mayer

When we allow our emotions to control our actions, then we become puppets. We can “surf the wave”, ride out emotions (especially negative emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, hurt, guilt, shame) and take control of our reaction to these. So often we find that people place blame for actions outside of themselves: “She ‘made’ me angry, so I lost control.” Lost control of what? How specifically did she “make” you angry?

We can take control of our emotions. We can experience the emotions fully, and if we don’t like the result we see, especially with negative emotions, we can help you find the root case with Timeline Therapy, and release your negative emotions.

Emotions can control your thinking, behaviour and actions.  Emotions that are not felt and released but buried within can cause serious illness, including cancer, arthritis, and many types of chronic illnesses.  Negative emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, hurt, guilt, shame and depression cause chemical reactions in your body that are very different from the chemicals released when you feel positive emotions such as happy, content, loved, accepted.

Your emotions should serve you – you should not be a servant of your emotions. Become the puppet-master in your world. Make a commitment today to yourself to become emotionally healthy. It takes a lot of wisdom to realise that nobody can make you do anything, nobody can change you. And neither can you make anybody else do anything, or even change them. Avoid those situations that you know will create conflict and upsets.  You cannot change others, you can only change yourself.