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Emotions can be tricky. They can feel big and overwhelming at times. In dealing with them, some work hard to suppress their emotions and as a result have become disconnected from them. For others, they can get so caught up in them they can’t seem to separate themselves from the emotion themselves! As some of you may know, Dr. Ko loves reading books, and he came across a really interesting book recently called Constructive Living by David Reynolds which talks about mental health, dealing with our current reality and living a life of purpose. Below is a summary of five things he learned from this book.
Feelings, no matter how powerful they seem, do not have control over us if we are aware of what we can do to overcome them.
The Five Insights
First Insight: Feelings are uncontrollable directly by our own will. What this means is that the feelings will come and go but we actually do not have direct control over our feelings.
Second Insight: Feelings must be recognized and accepted as they are. Since we can't necessarily control our feelings, we need to just allow them and accept them for what they are and how they may serve us. Don’t resist or force your emotions to change!
Third Insight: All feelings, however unpleasant, have a reason for being there. Feelings come and go, and sometimes we just can’t explain them. So instead of being hard on ourselves for feeling something or trying to get rid of it, ask yourself if you have something to gain from that feeling instead.
Fourth Insight: Feelings will fade unless we continue to restimulate those feelings. Sometimes, feelings fade fast, other times, if we keep dwelling on it or constantly think about a certain action or a certain memory, it will take a while to fade. Think about emotions like a paper cut. When you get cut and just leave it alone after washing it, it’ll eventually heal on its own. On the other hand, if you’re constantly poking at it and opening it , then it might not heal as fast. Similarly with feelings, just know that they will fade over time and try not to think about it too much.
Fifth Insight: Feelings can be influenced indirectly by our will. This is probably the most important one to know. So again, as mentioned in point number one, we don't really have direct control over our feelings, however we can indirectly influence them through our behaviors and our actions. One example of this is the feeling of not feeling motivated to work out. You may not feel like it, but you can still work out because you have direct control over your behavior. Your feelings don’t dictate what you do, only you can do that. And sometimes, the actions that you choose to do can positively influence your feelings as a result.
Ketamine infusions help you deal with pesky emotions, but only up to a point.
Will ketamine treatments help me control these pesky emotions?
Ketamine will help, but only up to a point. What ketamine infusions are good at is giving you a new perspective or insight about your emotions or events that result in you experiencing particular emotions. Often we have seen our patients come out of their infusions with a new mindset and approach to dealing with challenges. The key to maximizing your progress after the ketamine treatments is to have a new approach to handling your emotions. The five insights above are a way you can do so!
With some practice and inner work, you will have the power to deal with your emotions wisely.
You Control Your Emotions
Yes, we agree, those emotions can indeed get pesky at times. But these emotions are what make us human. As challenging as it sounds, we have full control of how we deal with these emotions and we don’t have to let these emotions control us! So if any of these insights resonate with you, how about taking the time to practice some of them today?
Have you ever felt frustrated when it came to feeling emotions that seem to be holding us back from living a good life? In this blog, we share with you some insights we’ve learned when it comes to handling these emotions and why it’s important to feel them.
