We can’t always control how we feel, but we can control how we act

In our lives, all of us go through situations where our emotions go extremely wild thereby pushing us to react in an impulsive manner. We regret those actions and therefore try to become self controlled.

 

But it is not so easy to control those feelings. Even though we might have tried to control ourselves in the past, but in the future, in the middle of infuriating situations, we again feel angry.

 

Feeling disheartened that we cant control our feelings , we again react angrily.

 

What is the solution? How can we do better?

 

We can feel better by changing our focus. It is difficult to control how we are feeling, but we definitely strive to control our actions.

 

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 05, Text 23  askes us to accept the presence of desire and anger without giving in to them.

 

When something makes us feel angry or bothers us, resenting that feeling is just fighting in a lost battle, that is because we are already feeling angry and it is not possible to ignore or send away that feeling.

 

What must be done then?

 

In spite of trying to control or send away that feeling, if we acknowledge that feeling and give it an identity that yes “The feeling of anger is there inside me and xyz person or thing has triggered it,” we will be fighting a battle where there are chances to win, means:

 

“Even though I am feeling angry, how can I act wisely?

 

Let’s understand how this strategy works:

 

Let us compare our emotional reactions with our physical reactions.

 

In case our body is sensitive to the cold weather, whenever there is a drop in the  temperature, we start shivering.

 

Now, if we keep trying not to feel cold, is a lost battle, because we can’t change our body’s sensitivity. But just because we are feeling cold doesn’t mean that we will quit whatever we are doing. We can certainly find a way to preserve ourselves from feeling cold by putting on warm clothes and continuing our work.

 

In the same way, whenever we feel angry, we can still continue or carry on with whatever we are doing, by putting on an emotional shield.

 

What we need to do to shield ourselves emotionally?

 

We are souls, eternal parts of lord Krishna. In order to shield ourselves emotionally, We need to go deep within ourselves, to our core identity.

 

When we connect devotionally with Krishna, we get inner security and peace that shields us amongst the various dualities like, heat & cold, pleasure & pain, honor and dishonor( Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 06, Text07 ).

 

According to ( Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 05, Text 26 ), We gradually become purified and transcend all the troublesome emotions by staying devotionally attached to lord Krishna.