A negative emotion can be described as any feeling which causes you to feel miserable, undermines your confidence, or makes you feel negatively towards yourself or others. Obvious ones are hate, anger, jealousy and sadness.
Negative emotions are not always bad: the sadness involved with bereavement is natural and appropriate. What causes problems with negative emotions is how we express them. For example, it is inappropriate to express anger with violence, or by ignoring or avoiding the person or situation causing the anger. An appropriate way of dealing with anger would be through using clear, assertive communication to resolve the issue.
Strong negative emotions can impair a person's ability to think rationally and see situations in their true perspective. A person who is angry, for example, tends to see only their own side of the story. They see what they want to see and block out everything else. Negative emotions can be acute (momentary), involving a brief episode, or they can go on for long periods of time causing constant discomfort (chronic).
The longer a negative emotion goes on, the more it becomes an entrenched pattern of thinking and the harder it becomes to change. If it's not attended to it can become an illness, like depression, and require drug treatment or counselling.
Humans are conscious beings and have more emotions than most other creatures. Our range of feelings is also much greater. For example:
Our emotions have a biological or physical component. Our brain responds to our emotional state by releasing chemicals and hormones which send us into a state of arousal. This can be either pleasant (in the case of positive emotions), or unpleasant in the case of negative emotions. So they are psychological (what we think) and biological (what we feel). This is a complex process and often we don't acquire the skills to deal with bad feelings (for example, some boys are taught not to show emotion).
Often we lack the coping skills to deal with negative emotions. In today's complicated society with job insecurity, confusion over gender roles and relationship difficulties, these skills are invaluable.
Don't catastrophise (blow things our of proportion and constantly go over and over them in your head). This will only keep you feeling bad. Try to be rational. "I know I'm bound to feel bad from time to time but I can cope, so what can I do to make myself feel better now" (walk, read, music, etc).
Learn a relaxation technique. Regular relaxation reduces stress levels and allows you to cope better with negative emotions.
Learn about the process involved in grief and loss.
Exercise. Exercising briskly for 20 minutes, three times a week can lift your mood by releasing 'feel good' chemicals in your brain called 'endogenous opiates' or 'endorphins'. The effect is accumulative so allow a couple of weeks to begin to feel the real benefits. Walk up to 20 minutes a day.
Let go of the past. Constantly going over negative events in the past robs you of the present and makes you feel bad.
Don't be embarrassed to seek professional help. Ask you doctor, Community Information Centre or Community Health Centre. They can all refer you to a counsellor or help you find what your looking for (perhaps a support group).
Life is not always easy. However, you have a right to comfortable emotions for as much as the time as is possible. Information about coping skills and the right help from the right people and professionals can go a long way towards helping you deal with negative emotions.
Your regular medical practitioner.
Your local community health centre.
National Depression Awareness Campaign Mental Health Foundation of Australia Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited270 Church Street,Richmond 3121Tel: (03) 9427 0407
ARAFEMI - Association of Relatives and Friends of the Emotionally and Mentally ill.615 Camberwell Road,CAMBERWELL 3124Tel: (03) 9889 1777Fax: (03) 98892878
Mental Health Foundation of Australia (Victoria)270 Church Street,Richmond 3121Tel: (03) 9427 0406
AICAFMHA - Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental HealthTel: (08) 8132 0786Email: secretary@aicfmha.net.au
