Every negative emotion we carry from other people are energies that if left, can potentially become our negative emotions too.

Because our brains are like emotional sponges, it is even more important we challenge ourselves so that we’re not constantly being drawn into other people’s emotions, particularly if they're negative.

These suggestions are worth considering:

  • Others aren't always the source of our negativity,  we can also be the source of our own negativity, so try to work out why you're feeling negative. Dig deep, the answers are always there;
  • Certain situations can be difficult. Remember to take a mental break for 10 to 15 minutes whilst you focus on yourself and your breathing;
  • Think about the way you respond to other people. You're not responsible for others, but you are responsible for the way you react;
  • You are responsible for your own attitude and perceptions.

Some of us will be more susceptible to other people’s negative emotions more than others, particularly those who already have a predisposition to negative thoughts, through anxiety or depression.

If you are dealing with anxiety or depression, there are things you can do to lessen your struggles. It makes it even more important that you're not around negative people.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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6 comments on “Other people's emotions”

  1. I try not to let others emotions affect me. I'm mostly a positive person and when someone is being negative I try to turn it around for them.

    Encourage the positive. My daughter is bad about being negative. Everything ends badly to her. She is a tough one to crack, but I have managed to turn her thinking around sometimes.

    I also am trying to not let other things bad affect me. People are going to do what they want to do most of the time. It doesn't matter how hard you try to turn it around for them they have to make their own decisions for their life and live with that decision.

    For my life I choose to be positive and encouraged. Being negative gets you no where except down.

    1. I agree with your sentiments Lisa, but unfortunately we cannot turn things around for other people unless they're happy to listen and turn things around for themselves. You're absolutely right, people are always going to do what they want to do regardless of what we think or want for them.

      I love the fact that you choose to be positive in your life. That is definitely something to be encouraged!

  2. I deal with negative emotions every day. Depending on who I see that day they can turn into positive ones rather quickly.

    I try not to dwell on negativity because it just pulls me down further. Being around people who are happy and positive helps a lot.

    It makes you forget the negative thoughts and turns them around.

  3. I seem to listen to people and try to interpret what they are saying, so if they are being negative I try to show them that there may be a positive outlook on it as well.

    Since the negative for some people might be the first thing they look at, I try to take a spin off from what they say and show them what they thought might be too negative.

    They can take it or leave it. It's their choice to be negative or not. I just try to steer them in the right direction, or try to let them see that it's not all that bad.

    So if I could only take my own medicine!!

    1. I completely agree with you.

      All you can do is help by giving your own take on what you see that is positive, in the hope that what you say will influence the person you're talking to in a positive way, if they're not seeing things positively.

      Negativity is learned behaviour either inherited from family (from what we see) or from our inability to be able to deal with our own issues positively.

      Once we see it for ourselves it's much easier for us to change, but we have to want to. It's also far easier to point out to others that they must be positive and not do it ourselves. It takes more effort to implement being positive than it does being negative.

    2. Ditto. I agree with you. I hope you manage to turn your negative emotions into positive ones and that they stay positive.

      I know that will help.

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