9 Ways to Change How You Feel

Being able to manage and change your feelings is one of the most important things in personal development. You may have all the logical and rational reasons in the world to do something, but your emotions can just sweep in and bring everything to a halt. Having your feelings work for you instead of against you can have a massive effect on your life. 

There are many ways to change how you feel. Here are 9 ways that do not include chocolate, pain or alcohol and actually work.

All of these points might not work right away; it’s like learning to ride a bike, you don’t learn it by reading about it. Else, the first time you try, you might fall. Remember when you were a kid learning to ride a bike; you just got up, brushed yourself and got on the bike again and again and again.

1. Relax: This is easy; relaxing when you feel all tensed up can work wonders. You might just realise that much of that tension was something you just built up in your own mind.

In “A guide to the Huna way – mastering your hidden self” King Serge Kahili writes this about effort and relaxation:

”When people are trying to change a habit or behaviour, they often complain that it takes too much effort. Others may criticise them for not having a strong enough will. What actually happens is that such people are trying to force a habit to change by using their muscles against it, and this is true whether the habit is physical or mental. This kind of forceful attempt creates tension that locks up the body’s energy and makes people feel worn out. They end up literally fighting themselves, which is rarely effective. All you really have to do is make your decision by your will, relax your muscles, and direct your attention in the way you want to go, until the new habit is established. If you ever feel that using your will is an effort relax and Start over.”

2. Ask different questions: We are always asking ourselves questions, but they might be questions that aren’t really that good. Instead of asking yourself: “why must I do this? Ask yourself; “how can I do this better?” or “how can this help me?” instead of asking yourself; “will I be able to do this?” Say “how will I do this?”

Ask better questions that empower you, questions that presuppose you have the power to carry out the task; questions that direct your focus to solutions and open your mind to new possibilities instead of questions that just makes you feel trapped and down.

3. Smile: Smiling gives you a boost of happiness. Try forcing yourself to smile for thirty seconds right now. By making yourself smile; no matter how you feel, your body will begin to release wonderful chemicals that can make you feel naturally happy. Try it right now and feel the difference.

4. Appreciate things: This is one of the most simple and effective way to feel much better. Just look around and appreciate the good things of life; the awesome feeling of the sun on your skin; the joyful sight of kids playing and just having fun; all the possibilities in your life; and the great things about your friends and your family.

This might sound awkward, but it really works; and it’s great to try to change your mind-set to one which appreciates the things in your everyday life instead of taking them for granted.

5. Interrupt your thought pattern: You might be feeling down or maybe nothing is working out for you today. This might be the time to interrupt your thought pattern. You can do this by simply doing something unexpected and totally different from what you are doing now.

Some suggestions; just do something different; do something that totally breaks your thought pattern. Sometimes, being humorous is nice, because it’s often the opposite of a depressed or anxious state that you would like to break out of.

When you are through with this, you will most likely not be able to find your way back to that previous train of dampening thought(s). Make up five things to do that really breaks your pattern and try them out.

6. Eat. But not too much; or too little: If you feel tired and frustrated, maybe you just need to eat to get your energy back and your blood sugar up to a more healthy level. But, don’t eat too much or you will feel tired and lazy. Don’t eat to little either or pretty soon you’ll feel just as bad as you did before you ate.

7. Create a physical anchor: This might take a while, but it works at the long run. How can you do this? Stand up, close your eyes and imagine an emotional state you can take charge of. As an example; imagine a situation where you are really powerful and confident. Take a deep breath, move around. Then after some minutes, snap back to your physical state. Practise this over and over again. You will be surprised how refreshed you will feel afterwards.

8. Open yourself up to other possibilities that are more beneficial to you: Have some faith that the way you view work, relationships, money, exercise, and life are not the only way to see them. Having the feeling that you are right about something and “know how things work” can feel really good. It’s instant gratification and gives you security and comfort. On the contrary, this can also limit you by closing your mind to other avenues of thought and personal development. Seek out a couple of experts’ advice in the area that you are having problems with. Remember, google is your friend, feel free to source for information from the internet.

9. Recall your positive experiences and memories: When preparing for a meeting, interview, presentation, date or anything that makes you really nervous; recall your positive memories from similar experiences. Remember the times when you were confident and relaxed during previous meetings and interviews. Let a few of your best memories wash over you. Let them drown out your negative thoughts. This will make you remember the positive and wonderful sides of yourself. Focusing on these positive experiences instead of those negative ones that always seem to be closer at hand can make a big difference.

Learning to direct your feelings has great implications beyond feeling better. By feeling better you will more constantly start to see the world in another way and you will begin to see other more beneficial options and your feelings will start to work for you instead of stopping you when you want to take action.

So glad you are here, were the tips helpful? It will be a pleasure to hear your contributions. Don’t leave without dropping a comment. Enjoy the rest of your day.