Anxiety and worry are two other negative emotions that need to be
checked. Anxiety refers to a special state of the mind which results from the
anticipation of a danger. With the individual focusing attention on the issue
concerned, he/she experiences acute discomfort. As Schwartz (1979) rightly
observes, any negative thought, if fertilized with repeated recall, can develop
into a real mind monster, breaking down confidence and paving the way for
serious psychological difficulties. Allied with anxiety is the emotion of
worry. When worry assails the emotional brain, the resulting anxiety would
force the mind to be obsessed with how to handle it. Worry in a mild form would
help us to come up with positive solutions to the problems we confront in life
by anticipating dangers before they occur. However, chronic worry can get you
nowhere nearer to a positive solution. In fact, worry itself seems to come from
nowhere and is uncontrollable and inaccessible to reason. Worry can lead to
panic attacks, an unhealthy build-up of phobias, undue obsessions, etc., if it
is not managed in time.Some suggestions for reducing anxiety and worry
As noted above, the emotions of anxiety and worry, when they become
chronic, are matters of concern and they should not be allowed to go unchecked.
Given below are some suggestions that can be used for imposing timely checks on
them:
- If we wish to deal effectively with anxiety and worry, we need to build up a certain level of awareness about them. We need to identify the sources that trigger these emotions and their accompanying sensations in our body. With practice, we will be able to identify their sources. Then we need to use relaxation techniques to subdue these worrisome thoughts.
- Worry and anxiety arise as a result of anticipating that something important will be going wrong. This sort of thinking is often behind the causes of worry and anxiety. As a matter of fact, the frightful and fearsome thoughts we entertain tend to turn into mental monsters causing anxiety and worry. Now, to get rid of these, we need to take a critical stance. We need to reflect on what would be the result if a much dreaded event happens. This would enable you take constructive steps in the right direction. This sort of a sceptical stand can work as a brake on the neural activities and with it the debilitating anxiety and worry would make less Impact on you.
- Another way to diminish the impact of worry and anxiety is to resort to some sort of a contingency plan. In case the dreaded event does happen, decide what you would do. When you have a fallback. strategy ready, it would ease your worry and anxiety as you are quite certain as to what to do if the event happens.
- Another way to keep your mind off the possible onslaught of anxiety and worry is to indulge in some distracting or pleasurable activities. When your mind is involved in them, they will get your mind off the grip of worry and anxiety.
So far we have seen how to check anger, anxiety and worry. Fear,
sadness, jealousy, etc., are some other important negative emotions that
require restraint. As done in the case of anger, worry and anxiety, if you go
on paying ongoing attention to your stream of consciousness, you will be able
to identify the emotions that you presently experience. With the help of
reflection and observation, you will be able to find the sources of their
origin. Then after assessing the advantages and disadvantages the emotions can
bring, you will be able to decide whether or not they deserve restraint. And in
the event of restraint being called for, you could bring into play your sense
of logic and rationalization in the management of your emotions. In this way,
you will be able to put a brake on those debilitating forces and subdue them.
- Optimism and hope
Both optimism and hope are forerunners of success on difficult jobs.
When the going becomes tough the tough get going! And so it is that the
toughness of optimism prevents people from falling prey to apathy, hopelessness
and depression. It provides the incentive to keep going in the face of
difficulty. Our optimism is a sign of the conviction we have that everything
would turn out to be alright despite all evidence of every setback imaginable.
Hope can take you even further. Hope is the belief that you have the will and
capacity to accomplish your goal. Only those with a high degree of hope are in
a position to motivate themselves and feel resourceful enough to find ways to
accomplish their objectives when they find themselves in a tight spot. The
qualities of hope and optimism would allow them to carryon with their tasks
despite the inevitable obstacles they encounter along the way. Those who lack
these qualities are known to give up easily at the smallest setback they
encounter. If ever you wish to succeed in life, you would need to set aside
pessimism and rely on optimism. Pessimism is indicative of a lack of energy and
motivation, leading us as it does to depression. If we think that the task in
hand can be done and give it due attention, eventually it will be done. Conversely,
if we think it cannot be done we will never be able to do it. It is our
thinking that makes all the difference. If we keep hope and optimism alive by
constantly thinking of success and act on that optimism, we are but bound to
succeed!
Motivation
Motivation, like enthusiasm and persistence, is another important
ingredient that helps maintain our energy level for long for continued work.
Motivation may be intrinsic or extrinsic. However, true energy is one that
comes from the inside. Motivation comes from the emotional brain. If our activities
do not arise out of our deep desires, we will not be able to make use of
motivation to pursue that activity. When we understand the intensity of meaning
and purpose of what we do, we will be motivated. Only those tasks that are
found relevant and interesting have the power to .motivate us into doing
things. Only when we tap into that internal source of energy, into the inner
self, that we will be able to find that spark of energy that sets our heart on
fire with enthusiasm. Without that burning fire of optimism and persistence, we
will be motivated to do nothing meritorious,
- Developing creative thinking
Peak performance does not restrict itself to positivity and motivation
alone. A lot depends on how creative you are in your thinking. Creative thinking
enables you to break away from those usual patterns that you have stored in
your .memory. Creative thinking is simply finding new and improved ways of
doing anything. Some people can do this by sheer inspiration. They seem to get
Ideas out of nowhere. This type of creativity is known as pure creativity. But
this is not the case with most of us. All creativity is not the result of
sudden flashes of inspiration. Making a connection between two existing Ideas,
practices or objects not made before, is another way of being creative. The
Egyptian Griffin, an imaginary animal with a lion's body and an eagle's beak
and wings, is a typical example of this. People also come out with new ideas as
they play around with concepts, indulging in day-dreaming. In fact, by sheer
fantasizing, people have been able to transform existing products (such as
motor cars, TV sets, etc.) into sophisticated ones. Be it pure creativity,
linking creativity or transformational creativity, creative thinking involves
coming out with something new and useful or finding new and improved ways of
doing anything. Success, be it at work or at study, hinges on finding ways to
do things better. If you keep on doing things the way you used to do, you will
always remain the same. Only creative thinking can make you leave the trodden
path and take up a path that is new. It is this that can make all the
difference in your life.
- Conclusion
As we have seen, emotions are intense feelings that are directed at
someone or something. They are object-specific. Emotions can be positive or
negative, depending upon the impact they make on us. Emotions playa vital role
in shaping our lives. Hence, we need to pay close attention to them. We cannot
stop emotions from entering our mind. However, whether or not to entertain
those emotions is within our power. Any emotion that is not entertained would
make little impact on our mind. In the event of our opting to entertain
negative emotions and permit them to cross all limits, they will lead us to
self-limiting behaviours. We would therefore need to bring our logic and wisdom
to bear on them and check them before it is too late. We need to resist the
despotic nature of our emotions, if we wish to maintain our ability to work
productively. As we have noted, merely controlling our negative emotions is not
enough. We also need to nurture and utilize positive emotions like hope,
optimism, motivation, creativity, etc., if we are to experience success and
peak performance. In the absence of positive emotions, all our efforts can go
down the drain. Let us, therefore, not only manage our negative emotions but
also nurture those positive ones and get them to work for us in our attempt at
accomplishment of goals as well as our pursuit towards self-actualization.
