The truths you hold as evident really matter because you act on them. The United States just celebrated 245 years of independence. It got me considering just how important it is to be completely centered on the kind of thinking described as “straight thinking.” I mean, using your rational brain,
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Key to our success in controlling emotions is… Well, let me ask you a question. Do you remember what lies at the core of all conscious human functioning (behavior) and is the instigator of many of our lightning-fast reactions as well? It’s our thinking! Now add to that this fact:
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Keep three words in mind when you want to use more tools to teach yourself and others the management of emotions. They are: distract, disconnect, reframe. All three are ways to change our focus, thus robbing our emotions of their energy. Starved, they wane and die — at least for a
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Using words we all can readily understand, the emotional brain needs to be calmed down at times, especially when we are in the grip of an emotional outburst. So far, I think we all agree. But how is that accomplished? There are several ways, but here is the method of
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Emotional Control (continued) Have you ever noticed that happy people tend to control their emotions better than angry people? I wonder why? Happiness produces a state of relaxation and in comparison, anger produces a state of tension. While happiness produces a positive attitude, anger creates a strong focus on what
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When you meet obstacles, do you tend to step back or lean in? Either action can be appropriate depending on the circumstances. But one certainly seems like a more reactive response and the other, more proactive – especially when responding to a major challenge. For example, taking a step back
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Let’s talk about distraction, and how it almost magically works to achieve emotional control. But first, we have to note: distraction can be the immediate cause of an emotional outburst as well as the means to end it. Distraction works, in short, because it is a change of focus either
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All hate, destructive anger, and black-heartedness come from a well-known source. We must change the source of hate, bitterness, and all our mental darkness. So what is that source? We metaphorically call it the human heart. Here are a few questions we all want to be answered. How does the
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You may remember the song “What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love.” It’s never been in greater need. Crooked thinking leads to crooked speaking, and hate in the heart will produce crooked thinking any day. Continuing from our previous discussions, in the next few articles, we will dig
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Straight Thinking About Facts — Part 2 There’s even more to straight thinking about facts than the issues to which I referred in my last article. We must consider how we will proceed when evidence is unavailable. What do we rely on to determine whether we are considering verifiable facts
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Straight thinking is also all about the facts. What facts? All that can be known. And how do we define a fact? Facts are truths that can be verified in one or more of several reliable ways that pass the test of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” So, when thinking about
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Have you recently experienced the intense pressure of current “groupthink”? It seems so many topics (once considered personal decisions) are now subject to invasive demands that you just go along and accept what you’re told. They say, “Conform for the common good! Accept that you’re thinking is “good” or “bad”
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