Last year, I wrote about the emotional rollercoaster. The emphasis was on how we let people take us up and down, dictating how we feel, thus guiding our moods and actions. There is nothing like riding the wave of emotions. I still struggle with that from time to time, but I’d like to think that I have experienced some growth. What I have noticed, though, is that although I do a pretty decent job of not letting others dictate my mood, I have not done so well in the department of self-regulation. One moment I’m feeling positive, and the next I am allowing my own negative thoughts to take over. Am I steering myself off a cliff? Am I guilty of destroying the aura I say I want to protect? Am I the real reason for my life’s motion sickness?

It’s easy to blame others for sucking all of the positive energy out of a room. We love pointing fingers and bellowing out how someone is “killing our vibe.” And yes, people can destroy and change a mood in a heartbeat, but let us also acknowledge some of the other vibe slayers. How can we point fingers when the mask of the “Red Death” is worn by us? If we are not careful, we can be the killers of our own vibes because we can’t control our emotions. Monday we are laughing and joking with people. Then by Wednesday, we’re wishing they would just fall off the edge of the earth. This is not because they have changed, but because our emotions have changed us. We allow our emotions to tell us how to respond to people who are being who they always were and will be.

PAUSE. Check Yourself, Girl! Don’t be your own mood assassinator. You can’t blame anyone for altering your mood or taking you for a ride when you are responsible for ushering in the dark clouds. We know how to slay all the evil dragons whom we believe have come to destroy us, but we fail to realize that they are really just our family and friends who are, quite often, the recipients of our negative energy and ever-changing emotions. We can set a negative tone even before we encounter anyone else. 

In effect, our emotions cannot dictate how we deal with people and situations. Last April, I wrote that we must bring those wheels to a screeching halt and get off the rollercoaster. This year, let’s set the atmosphere. Let us not lead with emotions. In this way, we approach situations with clear minds. This year, let’s make a promise to not be the initiators of our daily commotions. Instead let’s be the creators of our peace.