14. Responding with Negative Emotions

This pattern refers to the mentality and behavior of manifesting strong and unstable feelings and emotions when responding to internal or external situations. 

Examples are: 

• Normal everyday communications often end up in a fight or a difficult situation because negative emotions are triggered. 

• When expressing oneself or describing something, emotions, often negative ones, can easily arise or be triggered if no special control is exerted. 

• One can easily be provoked or affected by other people’s emotions and get into emotional conflicts with them. Exercising self-control over unhealthy emotions and transforming them can be difficult. However, if unchecked, the tendency to respond emotionally can get stronger as time goes on. 

• When facing or dealing with things, it is difficult to remain objective, calm, stable, fair and harmonious, especially when it concerns self-interest.

Related patterns include: Ignoring and Avoiding Action, Lack of Patience, Resentment and Revenge, Exaggerating and Debasing, Competitiveness, Stubbornness, Unfounded Suspicion and Fixed Expectations. 

This pattern could cause significant harm to one’s Shen, Qi and health and add difficulty to relationships. It can also seriously affect one’s effort to remain in a relaxed, calm and natural state. This pattern can have a negative impact on all aspects of life, including health, growth and all the things we deal with or try to achieve in life.

• Although the causes involved in the formation of this pattern can be complex, it is important to have trust and confidence that this pattern can be transformed. 

• Learn and cultivate the ability to interact with people and things in a healthy way. Establish the knowledge that things can be dealt with in a harmonious and sensible way. Getting negative emotions involved could aggravate the problem we are trying to deal with and create a vicious cycle. 

• Cultivating Wu Xin is a fundamental way to change this pattern. 

• Cultivate a relaxed, calm and natural state and maintain unification. This state will facilitate Shen/Yi’s awareness of everything, including one’s emotional changes, and exercise the knowing, awakening and realization needed to make adjustments. 

• Think about this: if we cannot even change and master our emotions, how can we possibly change our life and be the true master of our own life?