Pause. Stop. Slow down.

We can all benefit from those words of advice from time to time. Those words can lead to positive outcomes for the emotionally sensitive person. Here’s a four-step formula that helps you pump the brakes and slow down. You choose the right decision instead of letting your emotions drive your response.

Critique Your Emotions

You have been ruled by your emotions for so long. As a highly sensitive person, letting your feelings drive your behaviors is easy. That’s not always a good thing. To make better decisions and receive better outcomes, look at how you respond emotionally to some situation, person, or environment.

Be objective. What triggered your emotions? How do you feel about them? Do you feel you need to act immediately? What other feelings do you have? Break down your emotions. Remember when your emotional response caused regret and a negative outcome. Pause to check your emotions before acting upon them.

Accept Your Emotions

Just because you have a feeling or thought doesn’t mean it is inherently good or bad. If you don’t believe that, consider this.

The National Science Foundation tells us that the typical person has as many as 60,000 thoughts daily. How could you act on every one of them or even a small amount? For most people, 80% of thoughts are negative. This could lead to many negative consequences if they were all acted upon. Acceptance means recognizing your emotions and not necessarily responding to them with action.

Look at the Information Your Emotions Are Providing

What are your emotions saying to you? What is really going on if someone infuriates you? Maybe an experience tells you that you need to spend less time in the company of that individual.

Instead of looking at the emotion itself and how it makes you feel, see what information it gives you. This can help you effectively create an environment in the future that will deliver better experiences.

Give Yourself a Little Time

This is all about pausing. You’ve accepted that you are having emotions. You looked at your emotions objectively. You have taken time to gather any information they might have provided. Now it’s time to remind yourself that if you can’t control your emotional response, don’t worry. It’s going to pass. Nothing lasts forever, including powerful emotions.

This is a simple four-step process for making better decisions as a highly sensitive person. They help you cope with your emotions rather than letting them control how you respond to the world. This can lead to more positive life experiences and a healthier decision-making process.

Talk to the Author at Dr. Veronica Anderson