Do you feel overwhelmed? Tired and frustrated? Unfulfilled? Changing your emotions starts with three basic things.
Language: What does the voice in your head say to you? "Why does this always happen to me?" "Why does it have to be this hard?" "Why can't they just understand how I feel?" Do you see the self destructive pattern?
What if you silence that voice and instead ask "What can I learn from this?" "What do I have in my life that I could be grateful for?" "What can I do to better communicate how I feel?" "What is this person missing in their life that isn't allowing them to be fully invested in what I need?" See how it changes the tone you set for your emotions? It shifts you from being the victim, to being the one that has control over your emotions and your outcomes.
Focus: What do you think about? Do you focus on how money is tight all the time? Do you think every day about how you wish your spouse was more loving or playful? Do you think about something that happened in your past that hurt you? Are you constantly reading about all of the negativity of government, economics or current affairs?
What would it feel like to get up and read for 15 minutes a personal development book or to have a list of empowering quotes that you look over every morning? How would your emotions shift if you watched "Pay It Forward" instead of the 5th season of "Walking Dead". How much more hopeful could you be if you made a point to decrease the number of political statements and conspiracy theory posts you read and instead seek out stories about people who are working to make a positive impact on our communities and our planet?
Physiology: Do you spend your days with your shoulders slumped, head down, wondering why you don't feel good? Why you can't lose weight or get motivated?
We play a game with ourselves saying that if we were happier, THEN we would have the motivation to go for a walk, go to the gym or even just get off the couch. Sometimes...it works the other way around. Go for a 10 min walk...get outside...move your body. Do it every day. If you're already in shape, change your activity...instead of going to the gym go for a hike. Instead of running go for a swim. Pay attention to how you sit when you are working or relaxing. Simply changing your stance, your breathing, can open you up and start bringing more positive energy into your life.
By shifting what you say to yourself, what you focus on and what you do daily with your body, you start to have control over your emotions and your outcomes. Give up the tired, the frustrated, the unfulfilled for the grateful, energetic and happy self you were meant to be!