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Emotional Rule of Life

  1. Cultivate the gift of presence. Being fully present to another is an emotional state that few of us achieve except in moments of intense connection. A commitment to presence will take courage because it means limiting the distractions of technology. Turn off your cell phone(s). Turn off the television. Set aside your own agenda as you listen to another. Don’t be surprised when your focus wanders. Social science has documented that our attention to presence ebbs and flows – and this is normal. When you notice you have wandered, just return. Only God can sustain the presence of “always” (Matthew 28:20). Are you fully present to those you talk with? What would others say about your ability to be present when talking with them?
  2. Cultivate the skill of emotional self-regulation. Emotional self-regulation is associated with our capacity to calm our fears and tame our anxiety. It is also related to our ability to manage our anger so that we respond to others proportionately and appropriately. We neither fly into rages nor fail to confront when confrontation is required. Self-regulation is another way to say “self-control”(2 Peter 1:6). How aware are you of your emotional state when talking with others? With those who “push your buttons”?
  3. Cultivate positive physical health practices to support your emotional rule of life. You will find it easier to respond to others with gratitude, forgiveness, presence, and self-regulation when you have had adequate sleep, moderate exercise, and healthy food on a regular basis. God created us as whole beings. The systems within us impact and influence one another. If you are sleep deprived, you tend to exercise less, eat more, and are less emotionally resilient. If you have had a good night’s rest, you have energy to exercise, will tend to eat reasonable portions, and have the internal fortitude to practice your emotional rule of life. How would you rate your physical health practices? In what ways might God be calling you to steward the gift of your body?

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.