How many times have you said, \u201cHe makes me so mad!\u201d or \u201cI can\u2019t help it; that\u2019s just how I am.\u201d Often times, we are raised to believe we do not have as much control over our emotions as we actually do. We believe that someone else can \u201cmake us mad,\u201d when in reality, no one can make you do or feel anything. When we are emotionally charged or become angry, we may yell at the other person or give them the silent treatment, and we think we \u201ccannot help it,\u201d because that is how we have always been. The reality is you might not know how to protect your peace and keep others from negatively affecting your inner peace. You have more control over your emotions than you might understand in this moment. Instead of reacting to a situation out of emotion, like anger or hurt, we can choose to respond out of logical thought and reasoning.<\/p>\n
The late author, scholar, and activist, Maya Angelou, has been quoted as saying, \u201cDo the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.\u201d How do we come to \u201cknow better\u201d about our emotions so we can \u201cdo better\u201d? We need to understand that our inner peace is related to things like boundaries with ourselves and others, as well as learning how to logically respond rather than impulsively react when we become emotionally charged. After we become emotionally charged, it takes approximately six seconds for that signal to go from our emotional part of the brain to the logical\/reasoning part of the brain. If we can resist the urge to immediately REACT to someone who we feel has hurt us or angered us by engaging in the \u201cSix Second Rule,\u201d we can manage the emotions we are feeling with logical thought instead of raw emotion.<\/p>\n