Mental Strength Tip #3 – Controlling Emotions

Objective of this Mental Strength Tip

To help you realize that some of your thought processes, habits, philosophies and behaviors are unsupportive and hampering your level of success, fulfillment and happiness.

Let’s Get Started          

What does it mean to you to “grow up” emotionally and what would you have to do to move to the next level of psychological charity?

Often in the heat of a situation we revert back to the emotions we know best.  Sure we try to hide them behind a façade, but the bottom line is often when under pressure we let our emotions get the best of us.  We used phrases like “all the time”, “every time” “you always” when we get upset.  These universal qualifiers are the same a child uses.

Thinking back to some of your most recent situations were you “lost it” consider the Big Question and journal your responses or share it in the comments below.

Questions to Uncover Beliefs about Emotional Maturity

• What is the primary difference between the way adolescents and adults process the world?
• How about when it comes to fear?
• What does “growing up” emotionally mean to you?

Unsupportive Beliefs about Emotional Maturity

• Since I’m an adult in chronological terms I automatically think like an adult
• Physical maturity and emotional maturity or one in the same
• I’m already emotionally mature.  Further growth is unnecessary

Supportive Beliefs about Emotional Maturity

• I only focus on the events and circumstances I can control
• I operate out of objective reality.  The world is what it is
• The more competent I become at controlling my emotions, the more personal successful I’ll achieve and I’ll be fulfilled and happy

Outrageous Questions

• When you experience rejection, is your emotional response more like an adult or child?
• Have you ever responded emotionally like a child and caught yourself doing it?
• What percentage of the time to respond a mostly like an adult?

I use the term child here to get your attention.  As adults we almost never want to acknowledge that we behave like a child.  But if you’re honest and take a closer look you’ll find specific situations were you could have handled it better right?

Go ahead and write these questions and answer in your personal success journal…believe me it will help with your personal empowerment.

Reflective Questions

• Do you understand the distinction between adults and childlike emotional responses?
• What can you do remind yourself that verse situations to grow up and stop reacting to events like the child?
• How can I help keep you on track in this area without being a nuisance for offending you?

Coaching Mental Strength

My goal here is to increase your level of awareness as relates to your emotional “maturity” and to recognize supportive and unsupportive responses.  Again I would ask you go through all the questions and keep this concept in mind when you answer them and to keep this awareness on a regular basis.  After a while this will become a part of your everyday analysis

Final Thought

The average person does not have the mental strength to respond to adversity with a warrior mindset.  The idea presented here of “growing up” is easy to understand and a little in-your-face.  The bluntness of the expression is to quickly gain your attention.

The key is…how will you respond?

Are you ready for the task for developing mental and emotional strength or you will deny this opportunity for personal development and quickly discount this post by expressing “BS!”?

If you’d like some assistance with the development of your mental and emotional strength request your Introductory Consolation