Emotions are not hardwired

No brain has an emotional circuit. Your emotions stem from the predictions your brain is continually making, based on your past experiences. It is constantly making guesses to construct a moment you are in. This is why no two people experience the same moment the same, even if they are standing side-by-side.

In short, the emotions that happen within you, are actually made by you and you don’t have to be at their mercy. You have more control over your emotions than you think you do. By reframing past experiences, you can change the way you look at things. In doing so you can inform your brain’s predictions (or guesswork) about what is going to happen next.

This is why I believe the Gratitude Diary mentioned here is so effective.

Another anecdote of how you can change your emotions and how you experience things comes from an interview with a man who acquired extreme anxiety after he smoked marijuana he found in the cupboard of a flat he moved into. His ensuing anxiety affected his everyday living. Even shopping caused him to feel “anxious”. He then went skydiving and other extreme sports to reframe his anxiety. In doing so he then became constantly “excited”.

He noticed the jitters he felt before embarking on a dangerous feat were the same as he had always felt before performing onstage with his band. So instead of feeling “anxious” he now feels “excited”, “pumped” even.

In short, this demonstrates how you can be 100 per cent responsible for how you feel and interpret your emotions. And only you can change them because emotions aren’t built in. And if you don’t believe me, you could go watch this TedTalks video.