There was an experience that one of my friends shared with me, which has affected the course of her life in ways she did not expect. In her former place of work, she got into an argument with her supervisor. And out of anger, she quit her job and left the premises. After a few days, when she was already calm, she realised that she did not have any backup plan whatsoever, and she struggled so much financially. It was not long and the other staff who were her set were promoted with salary increment. She lost out on all these because she let her emotions to control her permanent decision, which she still regrets. Funny enough, some other staff also experienced the same thing, but they responded differently. But she just took irrational actions, but it was already too late when she realised it. And she still regrets it.
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Emotions are actually natural tendencies of human beings. Every human may have experienced moments of happiness, moments of anger, fear, frustration, or even sadness. These feelings can be intense sometimes, and may make people to take some very quick decisions. But you should beware not to allow temporary emotions to make you to take wrong permanent decisions that will be regrettable in the long run. You may not have had control of what triggered the emotions, but you definitely should have control of how to respond to the situation. When to respond logically or to react vigorously.
What you need to understand is that feelings can be more powerful than you may even think, yet they are very unstable. How and what you feel today, may not be the same way you will feel tomorrow. You may be angry today, and the next day, it may fade. In the same way, a feeling of sadness can also pass. Fear can also fizzle away when clarity it attained. But the decisions you make in the moments of these emotions can last a very long time. And the consequences can stay around even much longer. This is why it is dangerous to act on impulse when your emotions are heightened, or when your feelings are noticeably unstable.
If you think about how many regrets that can come from emotional decisions, you will be cautious of it. For example, saying hurtful things out of frustration, quitting too soon because of anger, just like the case of my friend I talked about earlier, walking away from opportunities because of fear, or making choices that you did not think through. The very ironic aspect of making decisions out of emotions is that, at that very moment, it may seem right, then later, when the emotions may have settled, you will be faced with the consequences of the decision.
It takes wisdom to know when to take a pause. When you know that the emotions are high, just give yourself a break. You do not always have to react or respond immediately when your emotions are high. Just take a step back, and then allow your brain and your mind to catch up with your feelings. This willl give you the time to think clearly, and will also make you to avoid making illogical and irrational decisions. Rather you will make better, more logical, and rational decisions. The things you do, whether out of emotions or not, will definitely have their own effects, and consequences. So think about this before you take decisions.
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It is worthy to note that you should not ignore your emotions and your feelings. Your emotions can actually provide you with important signals. It can show you what matters to you, what hurts you, what to stay away from, and what excites you. However, you should understand that your emotions are to guide you, not to control you. There is a big difference between acknowledging your emotions and being controlled or ruled by it. This is where discipline comes in. You have to know when to act, what to act, when to take a pause, how to act, and even the extent at which you should respond to things. Remember that you may not be able to stop the things that heighten your emotions, but you can control your responses to them.
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