Managing Your Emotions: The Law of Emotional Choice
Fresh Start , Issue 23

The heart of the Law of Emotional Choice is to take personal responsibility for our moods. Simple things, like taking a walk or renting a funny movie, are, for the vast majority of people, not manifestations of classic denial. Rather, they are the very stuff that changes moods. Of course, if we have been depressed or rabid with anger for several weeks, and all efforts to overcome this mood have failed, it is then wise to seek professional counsel.

But the Law of Emotional Choice challenges us to ask ourselves if it is realistic to respond to the situation differently. Instead of sitting in our darkened room, maybe it's time to get out and walk in the fresh air. Instead of focusing on what goes into and comes out of our bodies, maybe it's time to extend ourselves, to help someone else. Instead of holding on to a burning coal of resentment, maybe it's time to forgive. In the simplest terms, instead of giving in to our lack of energy or the desire to do nothing or the urge to seek revenge, maybe it's time to do something different.

Even chronic fear and crippling anxiety can be positively influenced by the Law of Emotional Choice. Healthy fears alert us to danger and keep us safe from troubles. But constant anxiety comes from grossly distorted thoughts that have little or no basis in reality. Those thoughts can paralyze us.

Again, long-term psychoanalysis is probably not required. Fears that paralyze amount to false evidence appearing to be real. We "awfulize," if you will, imagining outcomes at their worst. We avoid confronting our fears. The more we avoid fear, the more it captures our entire being.

The best way to confront fears and anxieties is to invoke the Law of Emotional Choice. Face the fear. Do something about it. Push through it. Go for it! "When I walked off that airplane," said Tiffany, a nineteen-year-old college freshman who was paralyzed at the idea of flying, "it was as if I'd won a gold medal. I did it!"

The person who will face the fear of anxiety and act, even in some small, positive way, is exercising the Law of Emotional Choice. This is wellness at its finest. For not only will the choice likely dissipate the fear, it will also build the needed self-confidence that will unlock many more of the gifts of life.

Consistently exercising the Law of Emotional Choice builds an inner strength that is unshakable. This is self-esteem of the best and highest order. Now we accurately measure ourselves and our limitless potential. We come to recognition that we are divinely inspired and have wondrous abilities. A new spirit suffuses our very being. A brighter self-image influences our moods, our behavior, and ultimately our entire life. Our heart can smile again….

Condensed From:
"The 22 (Non-Negotiable) Laws of Wellness", by Greg Anderson

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