Shift

1. Emotions are Essential Guides, Not Enemies

Emotions aren’t good or bad; they are just information.

Adaptive functions. Emotions, even the unpleasant ones, serve vital purposes. Anxiety prepares us for threats, sadness allows us to reflect on loss, and anger helps us correct injustices. Trying to suppress or ignore these emotions can be detrimental.

Toxic positivity. The cultural pressure to maintain a relentlessly positive outlook can be harmful. Acknowledging and processing negative emotions is crucial for growth and well-being. Suppressing negative emotions can prolong suffering.

Embrace the spectrum. A healthy emotional life involves experiencing a full range of emotions, both positive and negative. The goal is not to eliminate negative emotions but to understand and manage them effectively.

2. You Can't Control the Trigger, But You Can Steer the Response

The appearance of an emotion is merely the beginning: What we do or say or think affects the ongoing nature and timeline of the emotional reaction.

Automaticity of emotions. Emotions are often triggered automatically by events or thoughts, and we can't always control these initial reactions. Intrusive thoughts and feelings are a common experience.

Cognitive control. Humans possess a unique capacity for cognitive control, allowing us to modulate our emotional responses. This involves consciously directing our attention, reframing our thoughts, and choosing how to engage with our feelings.

Trajectory of emotions. Once an emotion is triggered, we have the power to influence its intensity and duration. By making conscious choices about how we respond, we can steer the trajectory of our emotional experience.

3. Sensory Shifters: Effortless Emotional Levers

Our ability to see, taste, touch, hear, and smell act as emotional levers.

Primitive pathways. Our senses are directly linked to our emotions through ancient neural pathways. Engaging our senses can quickly and effortlessly shift our emotional state.

Sensory bundles. Immersive experiences that engage multiple senses simultaneously, such as cooking or spending time in nature, can have a particularly powerful effect on our emotions.

Intentionality is key. By consciously harnessing our senses, we can proactively manage our emotions. This involves identifying which sensory experiences have the greatest impact on us and incorporating them into our daily lives.

4. Attention: Approach or Avoid, Flexibly

Emotions aren’t good or bad; they are just information.

The myth of universal approach. The idea that we should always confront and process our difficult feelings is not always accurate. Sometimes, avoidance can be a healthy and adaptive coping mechanism.

Emotional flexibility. The ability to flexibly deploy our attention, both approaching and avoiding difficult emotions, is a key indicator of resilience. This involves knowing when to confront our feelings and when to distract ourselves.

When to avoid. Avoidance can be helpful when we need to create space from overwhelming emotions, when we can't change the situation, or when approaching the problem only exacerbates our distress.

5. Perspective Shifting: Zoom Out to Gain Control

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Reframing challenges. Changing how we think about a situation can significantly alter our emotional response. This involves finding new ways to make meaning of our experiences and seeing them from a different vantage point.

Distanced self-talk. Using distanced language, such as referring to yourself in the third person, can create emotional distance and allow you to see your situation more objectively.

Mental time travel. Projecting yourself into the future or reflecting on past experiences can provide a broader perspective and help you manage your current emotions.

6. Space: The Environment Shapes Your Emotional State

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Power of place. The spaces we inhabit and move through shape our emotional lives. Our environment can influence our emotions both directly, through our immediate sensory experience, and indirectly, by shaping our daily routines.

Switch or modify. We can manage our emotions by either switching our environment, seeking out places that evoke positive feelings, or modifying our existing spaces to better support our emotional needs.

Personal attachments. Our personal attachments to place, such as our childhood home or a favorite vacation spot, can have a powerful restorative effect on our emotions.

7. Relationships: Catching Feelings and Shifting Together

They may forget what you said—but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Emotional contagion. Emotions can spread quickly from person to person, like a virus. Being aware of this phenomenon can help us manage our interactions and protect ourselves from negative influences.

Emotional advisors. Cultivate relationships with people who can both empathize with your feelings and help you shift your perspective. These individuals can provide valuable support and guidance during difficult times.

The power of giving. Performing acts of kindness and helping others can boost our own emotional well-being. By focusing on the needs of others, we can shift our attention away from our own problems and experience a sense of purpose and connection.

8. Culture: The Master Switch for Emotional Well-being

The unconscious mind has a curious way of expressing itself.

Culture as a framework. Culture, whether it's the culture of a family, a workplace, or a community, provides a framework for understanding and managing our emotions. It shapes our beliefs, values, norms, and practices.

Beliefs, norms, and practices. By understanding the core components of a culture, we can identify which aspects are supportive and which are detrimental to our emotional well-being.

Changing culture. If we find ourselves in a toxic culture, we have the power to either leave or work to change it. This involves challenging harmful beliefs, establishing new norms, and implementing practices that promote emotional health.

9. From Knowing to Doing: WOOP Your Way to Emotional Mastery

If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done.

The knowing-doing gap. It's not enough to simply know about emotion regulation tools; we must also be able to implement them effectively in our daily lives.

WOOP framework. The WOOP framework (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) helps us bridge the gap between knowing and doing by combining mental contrasting with implementation intentions.

If-then plans. By creating "if-then" plans, we can prepare ourselves to respond automatically to challenging situations, making it more likely that we'll use our emotion regulation tools when we need them most.

10. The Power of Acceptance and Self-Compassion

The goal is not to run from negative emotions, or pursue only the feel-good ones, but to be able to shift: experience all of them, learn from all of them, and, when needed, move easily from one emotional state into another.

No silver bullets. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions to emotional challenges. What works for one person may not work for another, and our needs may change over time.

Self-compassion. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge that managing emotions is an ongoing process. Don't beat yourself up for having difficult feelings or for struggling to regulate them.

Embrace the journey. The goal is not to achieve perfect emotional control but to develop a greater understanding of your emotions and to learn how to navigate them with skill and compassion.

Last updated: April 2, 2025