Bodies can heal, thoughts can change, but emotions rooted in the damaged past or the feared future can harm us for a long time. To manage the 5 major types of negative emotion, we need to employ the power of reason and a range of emotion-healing techniques.

Bodies can heal, thoughts can change, but emotions rooted in the damaged past or the feared future can harm us for a long time. To manage the 5 major types of negative emotion, we need to employ the power of reason and a range of emotion-healing techniques.

1.Anxiety: The word "anxiety" is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning "to choke". The key to managing anxiety in combating stress is Acceptance. - Attack your worries with the power of reason. - Write down what you fear.

2.Anger: Anger is one of the emotions that can literally kill us. The key to managing anger is Ownership. - If you tend to blow your top easily, put a time out on your anger trigger. Use a "breathing space" formula: count to 10, say the Lord's Prayer or recite a piece of verse. Recognize when anger wells up in you and divert it to an area called the "defusing zone". - Let your anger go. Visualize it being dropped in a waste bin, thrown into a fast-flowing river or into outer space.

3.Resentment: The key to managing resentment is Forgiveness. - Recognize that hatred cannot hurt anyone but yourself. - Resolve to let go of your hatred by an act of forgiveness. Announce the words "I forgive you". Send a bunch of flowers or a small gift. Stop punishing yourself for not being perfect - nobody is! - Think of people who have had real cause for resentment, perhaps due to the loss of loved ones in tragic circumstances, but who have been big enough to forgive. - Make sure your resentment is given a proper burial and move on with the rest of your life.

4.Inadequacy: The vast majority of people suffer feelings of inadequacy at some time or another. The key to managing inadequacy is a strong self-image based on a proper sense of self-value and not on external values such as money and success. - Ask those you love and who love you if you are a success in their eyes. - Don't assume that people will think negatively of you - ask them and they might just surprise you!

5.Guilt and Shame: Guilt and shame arise when we compare ourselves with an idealized belief of how we should have behaved. - Don't harbor secret feelings of guilt. If you feel guilty, admit it. We all make mistakes. - If you have made a mistake, don't exaggerate it. Instead, work to put it right.