Title: How Negative Emotions Affect Us and How to Embrace Them
Headings: How Negative Emotions Affect Us
How Negative Emotions Affect Us
Managing Negative Emotions
Get Advice From the The Verywell Mind Podcast
Negative Emotions vs. Positive Emotions
How Do Negative Emotions Affect Us?
Negative Emotions Can Cause Stress
They Also Provide Information
Even Positive Emotions Have Downsides
Strategies for Managing Negative Emotions
Tears
Hope
Additional Strategies
Best Possible Self Exercise
Gratitude Letter or Visit
Taking a Mental Health Day

Content: How Negative Emotions Affect Us and How to Embrace Them
Happiness
How Negative Emotions Affect Us
By
Elizabeth Scott, MS
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Elizabeth Scott, MS, is a wellness coach specializing in stress management and quality of life, and the author of "8 Keys to Stress Management." Learn about our editorial process
Elizabeth Scott, MS
Medically reviewed by
Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD on February 22, 2021
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Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments. Learn about our Review Board
Carly Snyder, MD
on February 22, 2021
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Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
Managing Negative Emotions
Negative vs. Positive Emotions
Impact
Tips
Additional Strategies
Anger, frustration, fear, and other "negative emotions" are all part of the human experience. They can all lead to stress and are often seen as emotions to be avoided, ignored, or otherwise disavowed, but they can actually be healthy to experience. A better approach is to manage them without denying them, and there are several reasons for this. Managing Negative Emotions
The idea of "managing" negative emotions is a complex one. It doesn't mean avoiding them— avoidance coping is actually a form of coping that attempts to do this, and it can often backfire. 1 ﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ It also doesn't mean letting these negative emotions wreak havoc on your life, your relationships, and your stress levels. Unmanaged anger, for example, can compel us to destroy relationships if we allow it to. Managing negative emotions is more about embracing the fact that we are feeling them, determining why we are feeling this way, and allowing ourselves to receive the messages that they are sending us before we release them and move forward.