Check and Reset--Your emotional clock

Emotions are spontaneous, easily felt but not so easy to express. But they must be expressed and practice makes perfect. Sometimes, I'll get a feeling about something or I might feel anxious about some unknown event. I might start ruminating on a negative event or incident, just to determine what the matter is, but this is not such a good idea. Over-thinking or ruminating over past or future events creates stress and if the stress turns into anxiety, incessant negative thinking could be the result. Incessant negative thinking can lead to depression, which is the ultimate negative result. It's important for me to not allow myself to dwell on negative feelings or thoughts, but emotions must be expressed. Just to check my emotional clock, I turn to writing, which allows me to think but at the same time express my feelings and uncover hidden emotions. I like to start with a simple phrase: I get mad about _______. If I'm worried, I write: I am worried about_______________. If I simply wish to reflect on my day, I'll write: Today I felt____________________. (The trick is to write nonstop about a topic for three to five minutes, without correcting, erasing or stopping. Writing on 8 1/2 X 11 loose-leaf paper provides enough space, and a good blue or black ink pen is a must.)********************** You can try it now. write for only three minutes. After I'm comfortable with three minutes (maybe in a week or two), I'll try for four and then five minutes, MAXIMUM. I'll try it right now, also.****************Today I felt happy, mostly because I got a lot accomplished. I talked on the phone a lot also. So little time in the day. I remember a time when there were too many hours in the day. I'd work and work but it seemed the day would last forever. But that was then. I'm so happy I've moved beyond the negative space in time. It takes work to overcome a traumatic event, but it can be done. You only have to use one emotional resource, and that's willpower. I had willpower to stay with writing--"always be writing" is my motto. I started out writing for someone else, about something else, but in the end it was all about me. Now, I'm on the right track, but sometimes, I think about the years I lost suffering PTSD and maybe depression. Since I was not diagnosed for depression, only PTSD, I'll never know for sure, especially since the symptoms for these two emotional disorders are similar--TIME UP. For you, I corrected mispellings. Otherwise, what you see is what I wrote during this 3-minute writing. Thanks for reading & visiting.