Often, negative feelings such as anger, resentment, frustration and anxiety can lead to stress. Most of the time these are triggered by external factors such as our environment, people or activities. These can occur at work, at home or a public place. If these feelings are temporary, they may naturally fade away and you don’t have to be concerned about it.
However, if these are persistent then you have to take action and resolve them as harbouring negative feelings is not good for our health and wellness. It can lead to stress which if constant may cause Chronic Stress that puts us at a risk of several undesirable medical conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity. Believe it or not, negative feelings could also be the result of your body’s reactions. Seemingly harmless actions like not sleeping enough, skipping meals, getting too much sugar or skipping our morning coffee routine can cause reactions in our body that can alter our mood which in turn makes us feel low, cranky, irritable or puts us off. Hormonal imbalances have a big part to play as well.
If it’s not an external trigger or chemical reactions inside your body, it may be your thoughts. Is a loop of past events making you feel regretful? By repeatedly reminding yourself of what upset you or re-playing how you could have responded differently, you inadvertently feel stressed and make your body release cortisol and other stress hormones.
You can prevent such mental recollections and negative thoughts by making a note of what you learnt from that unpleasant experience and letting go. After all, our negative emotions point to what we want to change so we don’t feel that way again. I recall my dad telling me not to worry about trifles as these wouldn’t matter in the distant future.
Usually, good lifestyle habits such as a healthy diet, exercising moderately to release endorphins or happy hormones and getting a good night’s rest help us feel well.
Some other activities that you can engage in to let go of your negative emotions are breathing exercises such as pranayama, a yogic or deep breathing, meditation to practise mindfulness or being in the present and writing down a few things that you are grateful for. Doing a relaxing activity of your choice for at least 30 minutes if not more works wonders too. It could be as simple as listening to music or as elaborate as going to the spa for a massage.
However, if you have prolonged negative emotions or have been feeling depressed for an extended period of time, it is best to consult your doctor and seek professional advice to feel better.
The best thing that you can do is look after yourself and shift your focus to the positive feelings, situations and people in your life.
