Emotional Skills

Emotions are a massive part of life. And they sometimes arise without warning.

Humor. Sorrow. Anger. Excitement! When we try to cultivate healthy emotional skills, we sometimes think we have to start or stop feeling certain emotions. That’s not always easy, and sometimes not really possible. Here are some things that can make a big difference.

Try It Out!

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There will be times in life when you won’t always have access to your favorite hobbies and emotional outlets. Practice giving up one such hobby or outlet for a week and see how it goes.
Healthy food and regular exercise help stabilize your emotions. Find an activity you enjoy that raises your heart rate, then commit to doing that three times or more each week.
Practice writing a gratitude journal. Find three or more things every day that you’re grateful for and write them down.
Getting enough sleep helps steady emotions and maintain good health. Practice going to bed at 10:30 p.m. and getting up at 6:30 a.m. every day for a week, including the weekend. If missionaries can do it, so can you!
Write down something that you look forward to doing in the next week and in the next few months. Put that paper where you can see it regularly, and update it often so there’s always a little hope ahead.