Image: adaptation of Primary Colors courtesy of antkriz
It’s a rainy day; the cloudy sky opens up. A rainbow shows up, and we are reminded of the rich colours of our world. Think a bit more, and you will remember that this richness of display is created with three primary colours: Red, Yellow and Blue.
In a similar fashion, our forever-evolving sentiments are the result of an exquisite and constant remix of primary emotions. All positive emotions can be expressed as a mix of Confidence, Joy and Passion; and all negative emotions can be expressed as a mix of Fear, Sorrow and Anger.
This knowledge can be extremely helpful in improving your life. If you want to get into a more positive state, ask yourself which of the three primary positive emotions can be improved with the least amount of effort:
- Should you reconnect with an old hobby and increase your Passion for life?
- Could you increase your confidence by learning a new skill and recognise yourself for every small achievement that comes along the learning journey?
- Will adopting a gratitude ritual at the start of every day bring more peaceful Joy into your every-day?
In a similar manner, whenever you are dealing with negative emotional states, ask yourself what is the dominant primary emotion: If it is Fear, think what kind of assistance can help you overcome it; If it is Sorrow, consider the sources and level of support you can ask from professionals and friends alike; and if it is Anger, explicitly acknowledge its source, and decide how you can avoid expressing it in your actions of that moment.
Whatever path you take, just remember that emotions are like the weather: you can observe them, become more aware of them, and adopt strategies to deal with them. But no matter how hard you try, remember you simply can not control them.
