The P's of Emotions

Emotions, like most things, have their pros and cons, but when it comes to the negative effects of emotions, most of us find ourselves following them up with a big "I'm sorry", at least those of us who don't let the emotion of pride keep us from doing the right thing. It should not matter if what is being said or done is true or not, our emotional responses, can determine a more positive or negative outcome, there is always more at stake then how you feel at any given moment. 

I don't know about you but I absolutely hate having to apologize for something when I could have, and should have handled it better in the first place. We all  have done it, still do it, or will do it and many of us may not be sure of even how to avoid doing it. Emotions are powerful but we can all better control them, if we follow the P's of emotions. 

The first P is to PROCESS. When someone has said and done something that has stirred up hurt or anger I believe that the best first response should be to allow yourself some time to process the information as well as the blood boiling emotion it has stirred up in you. When it comes to negative emotions no good thing comes out of the heat of the moment. First step in processing is to remain silent because everything you say can and will be used against you in the minds of the recipient! Nothing causes more problems then an uncontrolled tongue! If we are honest, usually the straw that broke the camels back, has nothing to do with what you are truly upset about anyway, it just happens to be the thing that made you realize that you don't have room for just one more unresolved negative emotion. The pot is full! Nothing makes us look more crazy then blowing up over something small because we had not made room for them by taking care of the bigger things that are really eating at us. It would be lovely to avoid those National Inquire front page moments when it sounds and looks as if we are possessed! Count the cost of your actions, you don't want to lose a friend because you feel helpless in some area of your life so you over react in an area that you feel you can control.

PREPARE would probably be the next best step. So much happens in preparing to deal with a negative emotion. Prayer is perhaps the best way to start this step cause sometimes the storm clouds of life, and chaos of emotions, become so thick that we are unable to clearly see where the root of our anger is coming from so we need to ask God to quiet us down and show us. Realizing what the real issue is usually means you have to prepare to either swallow your pride and apologize for misdirecting your emotions or muster up the courage to come face to face with the real issue. It is best to sit down and script it up, I usually do it on a type writer to save on eraser money and mess. You type, read, retype, edit, correct, etc and before you know it you have not only organized your thoughts but your emotions too. Sometimes you might even find that it was nothing more than a million tiny things that just needed some attention internally but exhibited itself externally at the cost of someone else's feelings. Quiet time is essential for emotional and mental health, don't let life keep you to busy, it will find a way to shut you down.

After you have spent time processing and preparing then you can PROCEED. This is where the pride swallowing or courage mustering comes into play. Sometimes at this stage you might find that you have to repeat steps one and two again, but if you have truly processes and prepared, just present what you are ready to present and save any new issues for the next time. There is nothing wrong with asking for time to think something over, ESPECIALLY if you start to feeling some negative boiling up going on inside, Take it off the burner before it boils out of your control. 

Last, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.  Emotions are some of the most unreliable gauges because there are just to many outside forces that can influence them in one way or another, this is true of both positive and negative emotions. The beginning, middle and end of our days ride the roller coaster of emotions and can leaving us feeling happy one moment, mad the next never knowing just which emotion we end up with, but we can know how to better handle which ever one lands heads up. Process, Prepare/pray, Proceed and Practice to keep the Problems to a minimum!

Knowledge is only as powerful as the actions we take from applying it. Don't let your emotions get the best of you!!!!

UPDATE: Angie is out of the hospital however the pathology report came back and she will need to do chemo, as it has spread to one, out of 18, lymph nodes. Angie is ready to get this started and behind her as quickly as possible. 

Derrick's surgery went well and he is in ICU for observation but they Dr's feel that everything went well and will proceed to the next step. 

Thank you all for your prayers.