Emotional Myth Challenge Answers

1.  There is a right way to feel in every situation.  Challenge: Every person responds differently to a situation.  There is no correct or right way.

2.  Letting others know that I am feeling bad is a weakness.  Challenge: Letting others know that I am feeling bad is a healthy form of communication.

3.  Negative feelings are bad and destructive.  Challenge: Negative feelings are natural responses.  They help me to create a better understanding of the situation.

4.  Being emotional means being out of control.  Challenge: Being emotional means being a normal human being.

5.  Some emotions are stupid.  Challenge: Every emotion indicates how I am feeling in a certain situation.  All emotions are useful to help me understand what I am experiencing.

6.  All painful emotions are a result of a bad attitude.  Challenge: All painful emotions are natural responses to something.

7.  If others don't approve of my feelings, I obviously shouldn't feel the way I do.  Challenge: I have every right to feel the way I do, regardless of what other people think.

8.  Other people are the best judges of how I am feeling.  Challenge: I am the best judge of how I feel.  Other people can only guess how I feel.

9.  Painful emotions are not important and should be ignored.  Challenge: Painful emotions can be warning signs telling me that a situation I am in is not good.

10.  Extreme emotions get you a lot further than trying to regulate your emotions.  Challenge: Extreme emotions can often cause trouble for me and for other people.  If an emotion is not effective, emotion regulation is a good idea.

11.  Creativity requires intense, often out-of-control emotions.  Challenge: I can be in control of my emotions and can be creative.

12.  Drama is cool.  Challenge: Being dramatic is not cool.  Also, I can be dramatic and still regulate my emotions.

13.  It is inauthentic to try to change my emotions.  Challenge: Change is itself authentic and part of life.  Sometimes regulating my emotions is exactly what is called for, it doesn't mean I don't recognize and accept the emotion as it arises.

14.  Emotional truth is what counts, not factual truth.  Challenge: Both emotional feeling and facts matter.

15.  People should do whatever they feel like doing.  Challenge: Doing what I feel like doing can sometimes be ineffective and even harmful.

16.  Acting on your emotions is the mark of a truly free individual.  Challenge: The truly free person can regulate their emotions and is not controlled by them.

17.  My emotions are who I am.  Challenge: Emotions are only a small part of who I am.

18.  My emotions are why people love me.  Challenge: People will still love me if I regulate my emotions.

19.  Emotions can just happen for no reason.  Challenge: There is a cause for every emotion, we may just not be aware of it.

20.  Emotions should always be trusted.  Challenge: Emotions should sometimes, but not always, be trusted.  Other factors should be considered as well.