I used to hate it when people would tell me to “Stop PMS’ing!” during my snappy, pissed off moments until I discovered the cyclical nature of the times that I internally wanted to tell people to f*** off. This past weekend I found myself crying hysterically and feeling emotionally sensitive to things that normally don’t bother me. The sad part of me wanted to stay home and watch past seasons of “Sex and the City,” so I rejected every invitation to go out. I put on my pajamas and reached for the ice cream when one of my friends texted the following:
“Remember Opposite to Emotion Action.”
I honestly didn’t know what that meant until I googled “Opposite to Emotion Action” (link here) and found that it’s a technique used to change painful emotions. Basically, you should do the opposite action (i.e. go for a walk, talk to a friend) of what you’d normally do (i.e. sit on the couch crying and watching tv) in order to counteract the suffering you’d otherwise feel from the distressing emotion (i.e. sad, depressed).
I figured I’d give it a try, so I ran on the treadmill, met with a friend, cooked a healthy dinner, and thought about a few things that make me happy:
{my dog}
{the beach (Santa Monica pier)}
{shopping…or at least window shopping on Rodeo Dr}
I definitely felt better later that night and am excited to say that I feel quite chipper today. Check back with me in a month though (and no PMS jokes please).
Tip of the Day: Give “Opposite to Emotion Action” a try! Next time you get angry, avoid the person making you angry. Next time you’re sad, do something active. Next time you feel shameful, let it go. After all, you can’t feel any worse than you already feel, right?
