Hi Mya,
We all carry different emotions mostly from people we encounter in our lives. Though a place , animals and nature also radiate some vibes which we sense and feel. However, here we will look into emotions we get from people , where the interactions was intense and negative in nature.
We are naturally inclined towards looking after our best interest and would as far as possible , for normal ones, like to stay away and avoid conflicting and negative people and environment.This can be our desire but not always possible to maintain. We have at times to face those undesired events, situations and people , which leave us a bad taste, spoiling our the rest of our day or night.
Can we switch those emotions like a switch and consider them only when necessary? I would say we can and should strive to learn to manage our emotions , so that we are more productive and can enjoy our lives instead of ruminating on those events. If this is what you want to term as switching on/off our emotions , then yes it can be done, but may be done not so distinctly as a switch .
Learning to manage our emotions is an important skills, if we do not want to see ourselves stuck in a place, time and event which has elapsed long ago, which for some reasons we are still keeping it alive and fresh in our minds, as if experiencing it currently. This is where we are self sabotaging ourselves.
How do we manage our emotions? We have to keep those emotions active according to our roles we are playing at a particular moment and technically”put to rest” those which are not required at that specific time.
That doesn’t mean you will not deal with your issues , just by setting them aside. Not at all, rather you will not spent your whole 24 hrs of the day , only looking after one issue. This will tire you, feel stressed and will lead you towards a sure shot burn out.
So you will , dedicate a pre decided time to reflect on your issue and try to find a solution to resolve same. This way you will not be spoiling your whole day just stressing yourself. This is how great people work and get productive. They compartmentalize their time , dedicating them on specific issues only.
Of course, there will be some issues which will be beyond your own scope to resolve. For these ones, look for the right person to take help and get them settled.
Many professionals apply these techniques knowingly or unknowingly to look happy and enjoy doing what they love, even though they have an underlying issue present in their lives, which they keep inactive except while dealing/reflecting on them.
To reply , to your query, Yes, one can “ switch on/off” their emotions to be more focus , productive and enjoy their every moment in life to the maximum. That’s what would be called, being efficient in life.
I hope this triggers some self-reflection.
Cheers!
Neel
Neel is a Certified [UK] Life & Corporate Coach. He coaches online [1-1 & F2F] for recovering from personal or professional issues. For booking or queries, kindly email from Coaches For Professionals | Neel Consultancy .