If you’re in the middle of emotionally trying times, lost your job, death and grief over loved ones and failing relationships, we know emotional pain f*cking sucks! But what now? Sitting in these emotions forever isn’t practical or healthy.

So, what are the options?

Bottle it up, push those feelings aside, and push through! You’re hardcore, you’re badass, nothing is going take you out. Just don’t think about it, move on and get gritty.

OR…

Let the pain take over until you feel like a puddle of nothing. Everything feels hopeless, the pain is unbearable, and how could you ever smile again?

Neither of these extremes are healthy ways to cope with your emotions, and as adults, if we’re honest, the majority of us suck at processing emotions. We get angry and take it out on the people closest to us. We go to work sad and hurt over a fight with our partner, now we can’t focus, productivity is low, and the quality of our work sucks.

Susan David, Harvard medical school psychologist and author of the #1 WSJ bestseller, Emotional Agility, has some strategies we can all start implementing today to learn how to process our emotions in an effective and healthier way. Her core message is that “emotions are data, not directives.”

We’re facing some really challenging times ahead and we’ve been fighting and hoping for better days since pre-Covid. This conversation answers how to deal with the difficult thoughts and use emotions as data instead of allowing them to direct a story of you starring as the victim.

You can have every valid reason to fuse with painful emotions, it doesn’t mean they’re helpful in the moment. Create space, observe what you're feeling, and identify the signpost.

[Original air date: 7-19-22]

Check out Susan David’s book, Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life: https://amzn.to/3aHKw25

Check out Susan David’s first Impact Theory Interview, Make Your Negative Thoughts Serve You: https://youtu.be/y8bwEgCcOXs

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 | Introduction to Negative Thinking

4:06 | Unhealthy Ways We Face Emotions

13:30 | Identify Your Emotional Signposts

24:38 | Make Space for Emotional Confusion

39:15 | The Secret Weapon Against Tragedy

50:35 | Don’t Allow Emotions to Write Your Story

1:11:01 | Strategies to Avoid Emotional Fusion

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S3 Ep104: How To Stop Letting Fear Stop You