Why I’m About to Explode

August 20, 2012 in Uncategorized with 11 Comments

Photo by kahunapulej (Creative Commons)

Emotions build.

Slowly they start to rise.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer to the surface.

Trying to hold them inside is useless.

For me it is a combination of the following:
Joy.
Fear.
Boredom.
Excitement.
Peace.
Frustration.
Discontentment.
Happiness.
Anxiety.
And several million other emotions.

The eruption is inevitable.

So what do you do?

Three options that come to mind:

1. Ignore your emotions and say everything is “fine.”

2. Allow negative emotions to take over.

3. Use your emotions to create something positive. 

I try to choose #3 as much as possible, but often fail.

The other options require much less effort.

Be aware that another eruption is ALWAYS coming.

Just knowing that can help you gauge where you are.

I challenge you to be intentional with how you respond.

 

Do you feel this tension as well? How do you recognize it? Please share in the comments.

 

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  • http://denisedilley.blogspot.com/ Denise Dilley

    So funny because I’ve been feeling the same way today. Monday is my day to try to find the one good thing & encourage others to do the same. However, all I’ve really wanted to do was wallow in the negative. Self-pity threatened to take over today, numerous times. But I fought back & found the positive and am choosing to focus on that. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. But today I choose the good, which is harder said than done, trust me.

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Good for you Denise!!! That’s awesome that you took the positive route. How did you do it?

  • http://twitter.com/KTLaBlanc Kirsten

    Thanks for the reminder, Jim. I really needed to hear this tonight. I did not respond appropriately to my family’s demands tonight & completely lost my temper. Thankfully, tomorrow is another day & I get to start over

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Kristen, thank you so much for sharing that! I am so glad this post resonated with you!!!!!

  • Yvette Carol

    I think women often experience it as tears rising. I can feel a lot of times, when I’m close to tears. But you know, sometimes it’s just not appropriate to let them fall. For instance, when I was with my parents this last weekend, and my mother, being on her way to dementia, hurt my feelings. She didn’t mean to, and we were in a public place, so in that instance I dried my eyes and carried on. But if I’d been on my own at home, I would’ve curled up on the couch with a cushion…

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Understood Yvette. That is a very difficult situation to be in! That’s a great point that sometimes, if you can help it, you might want to let out your emotions in some places rather than others.

  • http://intentionaltoday.com/ Ngina Otiende

    Jim, I was preaching me a sermon today, on this very topic.

    My day was blown apart by something and i was just steaming! After an hour or so, it became apparent to me (finally) that my reactions were not going to fix the situation. I was just messing up the rest of the day. With the help of the God, i was able to re-focus and begin to do something useful.Being intentional is so key…proper responses don’t just fall on us. They are carefully chosen

    Great thoughts, as always

  • http://livingthestory.me/ Thomas Mason

    I, too, more often choose options 1 and 2. Option 3 can be a real challenge. How do you use this option?

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Option #3? Well, I think it depends. You can write. Go for a walk. Talk with a friend. Pray. Go for a drive. I think there are many, many responses to #3.

  • http://deuceology.wordpress.com Larry Carter

    I choose to have a great attitude. If I didn’t options 1 or 2 would take over.

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Ain’t that the truth? I totally can relate. A good attitude makes a world of difference!