Your brain is wired to take you along for an emotional ride that is triggered well before you become consciously aware of it.
And this is a challenge, because when it comes to mastering your thoughts, it’s not as if you’re sitting in a peaceful chair in a quiet room, picking and choosing your thoughts as you would a recipe from your favorite recipe book.
It’s quite the opposite.
The very moment that you need to think about your thoughts is when there is a firestorm of emotion filling your brain and your body.
By the time you become aware of your emotions, your heart rate is already elevated, your breathing has already increased, the vascular system in your gut has already blanched and redirected blood to your limbs, your pupils have dilated, and your hearing acuity maximized …
… and that’s when you become aware of your emotional state and are supposed to be able to master your emotions.
No wonder it’s hard.