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HOW TO AVOID BECOMING AN EMOTIONAL WRECK
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
We, as human beings, are constantly exposed to so much stress in our daily lives that we sometimes feel
overwhelmed by them. At work and at play, certain stimuli can and will have us express one emotion or
another, in one way or another. Lucky are those who have been able to sufficiently get a grip on their emotions
and channel their angst to more productive channels. They are less likely to cause harm to others and are also
more able to assist others in channeling their own emotions.
We all have our own emotional problems. What sets us apart from others is the way we cope with our
emotional problems and difficulties in life.
There are some who choose to face them squarely, studying which angle of approach to use in order to bring
about a desirable outcome. Such people are strategists who successfully manage to find resolutions to their
emotional difficulties after much mulling over. They believe that each and every aspect of their emotional
problem is equally important, so they try to look for weaknesses in those aspects that could bring about great
results.
There are others who choose to change them for the better. Such people are also good strategists, but they do
not directly target the weaker aspects of their emotional difficulties. They try to refocus on something else
instead. Such has been the example of people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who opposed the suppression of
equality between black Americans and their white counterparts by mounting civil rights movements. He has
become a national icon for modern American liberalism. He knew that violence should not beget violence, so
instead of having angry retaliations against the whites, he chose peaceful civil rights movements to bring about
what he had always dreamed of: racial parity.
And of course there are those who choose to escape from the painful emotional realities of life. They use
avenues such as religion, marriage or plain daydreaming to be able to get away from it all. Escaping is not quite
the same as coping; it merely drapes the emotional difficulty in a shroud of deception. It will not make the
emotional problem go away. Those who rush into marriage because of an unexpected pregnancy or as a form
of rebellion, those who use God as a whipping boy for their many troubles, or those who escape to Never-
Never Land can not hope to bring about a most desirable outcome to their emotional problems.
Let us deal with our emotional concerns and difficulties in the wisest way possible. No amount of escapism can
help us. What will ultimately prevent us from becoming emotional wrecks is acceptance and coping with our
emotions in the best ways possible.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.
What problems could pent-up emotions bring about?
2.
What problems could giving vent to our emotions cause?
3.
Why is it important to face our emotional problems squarely instead of escaping from them?
4.
What stimuli often cause you emotional turmoil?
5.
How can emotional problems help us develop into better individuals?