negative emotions way stronger than positive ones

[Sisyphus2]

I have noticed within my own life, in the course of attempting to manifest intentions, that my negative emotions seem way stronger than my positive ones. You are supposed to energize your intentions by feeling right now the same emotions you would feel if you achieved your goal. Also, you are supposed to mentally block all emotions and thoughts that contradict your intention. The problem I seem to have is that my negative emotions are way stronger than my positive ones, to the point where I can't even tell if I'm actually "feeling" my positive emotions at all.

If I imagine having all of the money that I need, the only thing I can imagine "feeling" is a sense of relief from the stress of not having enough. Is this really a positive emotion?

Napoleon Hill says that "faith" is one of the emotions you need to utilize most. Is that really an emotion? I can't say that I've ever "felt" it.

Happiness is allegedly an emotion, but I can actually only think of a few isolated times when I've felt it throughout my life, and they were very brief.

On the other hand, feelings of hatred and despair and guilt are very strong for me, and when they pop up they become overwhelming. I can't help but think that these strong emotions are having a much greater effect on my intentions (counteracting them) than these week positive emotions that I am trying to conjure up.

I don't think I'm unusual in this regard. I think in general our lives our filled with way more negative experiences, and thus negative emotions, rather than positive ones. Even emotions like love and desire seem to be based on negative things like lacking what you want (desire) and fear of losing it (love).

So anyway I guess this is really an uphill struggle!

[Bradshaw]

Positive emotions seem to have a much bigger effect then negative emotions do for me but i do remember in the past where i would literally be consumed by negative thoughts/emotions/feelings(but this changed).

My best guess is that i simply "listen" to the negative emotion/thought/feeling(some of the time anyway!) to see what it is trying to tell me, as i don't think you should outright dismiss your emotions, and then i simply let it go, just like that. On the other hand i tend to wallow and dream and play around with positive thoughts/emotions/feelings waaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy more. Does this make sense? It's sort of hard to actually put into words the processes of your mind.

Ok, look, you can't really IM properly if you don't have a positive outlook on life and your frame of mind is in negative mode, that much i know. Well, you can, but it'll probably come out in a fear/guilty/shameful/etc way, or not at all. You should be in a positive or at least neutral frame of mind.

I'd say you should focus on being a happier person in general. For me this happened when i found joy on the inside independent of external circumstances and events. And with a creative and joyful mind, such circumstances and events soon changed to what i wanted.

I guess what i'm trying to say is that IM + Negative Outlook = Bad/No Results

[CurtisRivers]

Hello Sisyphus2. I know exactly what you mean when you describe your feelings. I've been there. I recall doing an NLP CD a few years ago where the author casually asked the listener to choose a really, really happy moment in their life. One of TRUE happiness. I recall really struggling to find one! Was my life really so unhappy? Not really, I just figured I was an 'unlucky person' just about 'getting by' in life.

Anyway, I've turned all that around now, but although for the most part I'm positive, I still respect that the smallest thing can cause an instant shift from being on a peaceful vibe to being on a stressed vibe - but recognising this shift is the key, and you've done just that, so don't worry!

I use two methods to get myself back on track Sisyphus2. One is the 'Think Happy Thoughts' method shared in The Secret. You may recall Bob Proctor suggesting we think of a baby (not 'that' baby). :-) I have a list of memories that make me feel good or laugh out loud, and these shift my vibration to a positive one if I'm suddenly feeling low. I based this list on 'feeling' instead of 'perceived happy moment'. For example, I might recall my little girl giving me a big hug and telling me she loves me with all her heart. The 'feeling' recalls her actual hug, but also the smell of her freshly shampooed hair as she'd just had a bath, the sound of hair soft voice as she whispered it, the sensation of her little breath in my ear. Soppy I know, but a 'feeling' I can recall that lifts me. Compare that to the memory of winning a small amount of cash on a lottery ticket, and this memory is flat and emotionless by comparison.

The other method is a simple meditiation that takes only a few minutes. I use this method if the 'Think Happy Thoughts' method is over-shadowed by a particularly black cloud - maybe I'm a bit down, received devastating news, or just had a huge argument with someone I'm close to.

Anyway, I just find somewhere quiet, switch my mobile to 'silent', take the phone off the hook etc if I'm at home, and sit comfortably. I slip off my watch and loosen my belt if I'm wearing one - just so I'm comfy for a couple of minutes.

I close my eyes and imagine myself somewhere nice with the sun on my face. This could be a garden on a lazy summers afternoon, a memorable deserted beach in the tropics, or a high mountain top with cool rarefied air - whatever makes you feel relaxed. I smile as I 'feel' the sun on my face.

Next, and this may seem a little hard to visualise at first if you've not done it before, I imagine I'm 'breathing in' the sunlight. Literally - as I inhale with my eyes closed, I imagine a stream of sparkling sunlight flowing into my mouth and filling my body with light. I do this for a couple of breaths until I can imagine myself 'glowing'. Next, I say to myself, "I am letting go of all my anger" (for example) and as I breath out, I see the 'bad emotions' flowing out of me as grey light.

If you've seen the Tom Hanks film 'The Green Mile', you may recall the character of John Coffey breathing out millions of tiny black balls, like a dark cloud coming out of his mouth. Well, I visuaise the same - breathing in the pure white light, breathing out the grey/black light, nice relaxing, long, deep breaths. I might do some out-breaths saying, "I am letting go of all my anger", and the next few breaths, "I am letting go of all my resentment" - whatever negative emotions you want rid of.

I close by breathing in lots of sunlight until by body is glowing like the sun, and then smiling and being very happy and grateful that I feel so good.

As you open your eyes you'll feel a million times better, and attacting more feelings of 'feeling a million times better'. It really works, and takes only a few moments to do.

I hope this helps in some way - do let me know how you get on.

Curtis

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[fellowtraveler]

This has more to do with the emotions than with manifestation, but:

One of the most striking concepts I took away after seeing the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?" is that of being addicted to the chemicals in our bodies which control our emotions. After some extremely deep digging within my conciousness, I realized that this is correct...that the feeling of anxiety or fear or depression came first, and then my mind scrambled to come up with a specific reason why I should feel that way (and there are no lack of candidates for that...if there were none, one would make them up anyway).

Once I realized that, it became much easier to dismiss the negative feelings since I now know that the reason for my feeling bad is because of a chemical, not because of some outside thing acting on me. I think that if this is goes on long enough one could learn to ignore most of the internal bad stuff and let the good stuff dominate.

[nightdiamond]

Hi Sisyphus2,

My approach to this is please, go easy on yourself...it's perfectly understandable why you like anyone else feels this way from time to time... you're not a vulcan after all...

My advice is don't try to block negative emotions like that because it almost amounts to denial or "holding it in"... like a pressure cooker... face them, talk to yourself about your negative emotions and how it affects you, and what you are trying to do...

Experiment, challenge, work with different ways to work this problem out.

If I imagine having all of the money that I need, the only thing I can imagine "feeling" is a sense of relief from the stress of not having enough. Is this really a positive emotion?

Then consider using that feeling of relief for positive effect, why not?.

For example, take that sense of relief and build it up high to an intense feeling, and use that for your visualization. Then you can slowly step into imagining having the money to do what you want with, with intensity-if you want to.

For getting relief from too many negative emotions, here's something that I found worked for me and even I once admitted it sounded very chessy..

Early in the day, state to yourself, a number of times (like 10 times in each set) something like "just for today, I will feel and act positive when I visualize"... or " "just for today, I will release all my negative emotions before I practice I.M"

Be persistent in stating this throughout the day, and watch your behavior and feelings...if it works, use it to get you towards success..if not, then keep trying with something else...

Take care and good luck...

[KatyG83]

To Curtis and fellowtraveler:
lately I have been struggling with many emotional and physical issues. While searching the Internet for any solutions to my recent anger issues I stumbled upon this forum. I read the woes of the writer and could sympathies a little like with many forums/blogs but I still felt it didn't hit the nail on the head but I read the follow ups and was glad I did.
Curtis, even though you know what works for you might make others feel silly, I'm glad you shared your tips. Lately I feel like I'm losing grip on reality and I stopped, took a breathe and let the petty things go. I know you didn't create the action of meditation but the way you took me step by step through the process and didn't just say 'meditate' made it easier to slow down and just take a step back. I've recently been angry with my loved ones for no good reason and this helped me set aside things not worth fighting over.
Fellowtraveler, I have always been interested in the chemicals that control our bodies and how they keep us linked to ourselves and others. Your advice reminds me of my own personal decission to try and stay sane without the use of medication. Reading your feed back made me feel strong enough to keep my logic ahead of my overwelming feelings.
Thank you both for so much wisdom. I have stored your posts on my phone, labeled 'Happy' and the next time I'm feeling blue I'll reread these thoughts and be thankful.

[Zas]

I like the Abraham Hicks view that what you are looking for is "relief" from wherever you are at. Basically, the idea is that trying to jump a floor up from ground level (to joy/happiness from an opposite experience) is a ridiculous amount of work- It's better to just take the stairs.

Here's the actual scale recommended by that source: The Abraham-Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale - Contemplate This

So, you said, "feelings of hatred and despair and guilt are very strong for me." Those range from 19-22 . . . Instead of trying to reach for "happiness" (clear up at 3!) and over-exerting yourself, reach for thoughts of revenge (take this negativity from inward then direct it outward.) Then (hopefully before you act on those thoughts of revenge ) reach for thoughts/feelings of anger, then for those of discouragement, then for those of blame . . .

Then just continue scooting on up in your own time.

Originally Posted by Sisyphus2

If I imagine having all of the money that I need, the only thing I can imagine "feeling" is a sense of relief from the stress of not having enough. Is this really a positive emotion?

Yes- In comparison. I think it's more like you want to be on the positive path . . . Anger feels better than despair, but worse than being impatient. So if you're in a state of despair, anger is positive. If you're feeling impatient, it's negative. Relief is a keyword here, pay attention to how you feel and just look for little ways to feel better. It sounds like you're doing just fine.


Usually, if I'm not actually feeling positive about life, I'll do "wouldn't it be nice if?" scenarios instead of actual visualizations. That's an Abe technique as well. It's just easier to talk like, "wouldn't it be nice if blah blah blah" than to try and live the experience of something that currently seems painfully impossible, you know? Because you're pulling up the pain along with the good.


Anyway, those are the things that have worked for me. But it feels like everyone has their own paths- So just follow whatever resonates the most with you.

[Diandra25]

do you know what i do whenever i feel that the negative thoughts are taking the lead?

i always remember the words of Eckart Tolle,and then at that second i know im being controlled by my Ego.

Ego´s are all the same:attatch ourselves to whatever is negative and causes us pain:sorrow,revenge,hate,guilt,sadness,etc etc.

remember that whenever you are feeling those things,it is the Ego that is controlling you through the thought.and the more you think,the more you will sink deeper and deeper.

the best thing you can do is let go.
dont resist the Ego,but instead surrender to whatever is happening.accept that you are in a level where you can actually choose to " put aside the counsciounsness ( that is thE EGO)" and that in the moment you achieve your inner truth ( that unless you let go your ego/counsciounsness) you will always suffer through those negative feelings.

Ego wants you to suffer,to be dependendable of it,and to be always trying to reach satisfaction through one thing or another.it will create more and more things for you to dream about,and to be forever wanting and wanting.therefhore you will always be - IN NEED OF Something - so everytime your intention fail or you feel overwelmed by the negative thoughts....let it flow and dont try to swim against the corrent.cause the corrent will lead you to the answers you need,even if in the moment you cannot really see it.

eckart tolle has helped me a lot to comprehend these patterns- now i understand why i was so attatched onto the negative,like you.

but you can be the best you can be,and put your intentions to the Universe without letting Ego get in the way.

good luck

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Sisyphus2

I think in general our lives our filled with way more negative experiences, and thus negative emotions, rather than positive ones.

That is a ... terrible .... belief to have.

I suggest you try to stay away from heavy-duty manifesting on specific intentions, until you can improve your general outlook on life.

In the meantime, try to generally notice the positive, joyful experiences in people's lives (including your own). You will see that there are many such experiences, and opportunities to have such experiences, in daily life. But you have to begin, by seeing that they do exist.

[ProbableReality]

Many of us spent too much time listening to the mass consciousness (including me). That is why negative emotions seem so powerful.

I have made great progress towards positive thinking by just refocusing and refocusing. Its a way of life now, and better things keep coming.

I recommend you keep your focus towards the way you want things to be.
over and over and over......