Eliciting Positive Emotions

We cannot control the emotions we have. Emotions, like thoughts, will come and go as they please. What we can do is try to engage in certain behaviours and actions that promote more positive thoughts and emotions, find ways to tap into positive thoughts and emotions in the moment, be kind to ourselves when we are experiencing difficult emotions and make space to process and feel them, and develop our abilities to respond effectively when challenges thoughts and emotions come up.

For now, pay attention to what sort of activities help you to feel good. What around you inspires positive emotions? What can you be grateful for? What is something that you know you will feel good about after you’ve done it. It is often the case that doing the things that we know will help is the most difficult when we are struggling with complex emotions. The more aware we are of what really helps and the more often we get ourselves doing the things that help, the easier it is to do them when we need to.

Thank you for reading,

Stephen