Emotional awareness is key to positive state of mind Published March 24, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Bryan Swink Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Everyone goes through rough patches in their lives when things seem to never go their way. They beat themselves up about every issue and many think they will never get through it. This can lead many people into a state of depression and leave them feeling worthless with a low self-esteem. Issues like this can stem from problems at work, home or in their social environment. Many times, issues get magnified because of incidents or traumatic events that occurred in the past. I don't know many people who had a story-book childhood. Whether it was some form of abuse at home or teasing by classmates at school, many people have deep-rooted thoughts or feelings that carry over into adulthood. Thoughts or feelings about themselves come out and are magnified when issues occur in the present day. Recognizing and having control over your emotions is important in controlling your mental state. Many people think emotions, whether good or bad, are the result of the situation that occurred. In actuality, your emotions are a result of your thoughts regarding the situation. For example, Bobby and Sue both fail their physical fitness test. Bobby doesn't know why he didn't pass and thinks he's a failure. He starts to feel worthless and sad. He gets angry at himself and starts taking his frustrations out on his co-workers. Sue on the other hand, sees this failure as a challenge. She starts to figure out what went wrong and how to best correct the issues she had during the test. Sue plans a strategy for success for the next test and asks her co-workers to help keep her accountable. Both Bobby and Sue faced the exact same situation, but have completely different outlooks as a result. Bobby's thoughts about being worthless and a failure have led him to feel sad and angry, while Sue had more positive thoughts. This negative event fueled her to succeed on her next test. The first step is to understand the thoughts regarding the problem are the cause for the emotions being felt. Not the other way around. In order to correct this way of thinking, you have to understand the way your thinking. It's much easier said than done, but being aware of it is the first step to correcting the process. The more you practice thinking in a positive manner during situations, the more it will become routine. Think about the emotions tied to each thought and how those will affect you. By practicing this way of thinking, it will help prevent you from falling into a negative state of mind. Remember, it's not the problem or situation that causes your emotions or feelings; it's your thoughts in relation to those problems.