Do You Become Happier By Accepting Negative Feelings?

It is not fun to experience negative emotions. It can actually be painful, especially since the brain is designed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. But what if we chose to accept negative emotions instead?

It is complicated, but doing so can have a positive effect on your well-being.

People tend to suppress negative emotions such as fear, sadness and anger. The problem is that this can have detrimental long-term effects, both physically and mentally.

Avoiding or repelling emotions does not make them disappear. The opposite is actually the case. If you try to ignore them, they tend to accumulate and lead to even more suffering.

Managing your negative emotions in a constructive way can therefore help you develop. This process makes it possible to reach your goals, form better relationships with others and get to know yourself.

Let’s dig a little deeper into this subject.

Accept negative emotions without judging

Anger, fear and sadness are emotions that most of us experience on a regular basis. They inform you about yourself and your needs, but also cause stress and anxiety if they are not handled properly.

This is why people tend to usually choose to avoid or ignore them.

Learning to deal with negative emotions is difficult. After all, it involves analyzing them and reflecting on what they are trying to say. That does not mean you should let them take over.

Instead, it means you have to be aware of them and understand why you feel the way you do. Dealing with negative emotions is to keep them under control without denying what you feel.

The difference between acceptance and suffering

It is important to be aware of the difference between accepting negative emotions that cause suffering and self-inflicted suffering.

Acceptance is closer to balance. Achieving balance is difficult in the western world because there is a lot of pressure to be constantly happy. This is an unrealistic expectation that can affect your psychological well-being.

The ultimate goal is therefore to find a balance between positivity and negativity, as it can restore the satisfaction of your life.

But this is a process that requires time and effort. It is not easy to accept negative emotions. As with other cognitive habits, it is a skill you can develop and complete with practice.

Strategies for dealing with negative emotions

Experts have developed various strategies for accepting and dealing with negative emotions. TEARS HOPE is a specific technology that Ceri Sims refers to in its research, and it has become popular.

TEARS

• T – Teach and learn. This strategy involves working with self-awareness and learning about body and mind as well as how they respond to different emotional states. This makes it easier to understand when and why you are angry. It also makes it easier to interpret the signs that your body sends to the brain.
• E – Express (expression). This technique involves encouraging inner openness and curiosity to increase acceptance of what is happening in your daily life.
• A – Accept and become friends. You need to increase the compassion you have for yourself and work on becoming more tolerant of frustration.

• R – Re-appraise. This technique consists of learning to see things differently. Cognitive behavioral exercises are perfect for this strategy.
• S – Social support. You need to work on feeling more connected to other people and more compassionate towards yourself. Investing time and energy in your relationships is also important. Meditation and mindfulness can be very helpful.

HOPE

• H – Hedonic well-being / happiness. Research on the subject shows that a 3: 1 ratio between positive and negative emotions can be beneficial. This means that it is important that you have positive experiences every day. You should focus on happy memories and enjoy your success. This helps to increase the amount of time you spend in a positive state of mind, which compensates for negative emotions.

• O – Note. This technique focuses on practicing mindfulness and not paying too much attention to things that are not important.
• P – Physiology and behavioral changes. It is productive and beneficial to concentrate on relaxation, breathing exercises and self-care.
• E – Eudaimonia. The last element involves feelings of authenticity and fighting for personal goals in life.

Accepting negative emotions makes you feel better

Most health experts agree that accepting negative emotions without judgment is one of the best ways to improve psychological well-being. Therefore, most psychologists recommend that you learn to deal with them.

Iris Mauss – associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley – explains that people who accept their negative emotions tend to experience fewer of them. It leads to better psychological health.

Furthermore, research shows that people who are less disturbed by their negative emotions tend to report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction than those who make themselves feel bad about it.

As you can see, it is important for your mental health and well-being that you learn to accept negative emotions.