We are often advised to control our emotions, especially the negative ones like anger, fear and grief. You are asked to process your emotions first, then find ways to control them so that you are not overtaken by them. A recent study states that there are 27 kinds of emotions, and emojis have been created to depict every one of them. These 27 include both positive and negative emotions. But any emotion, when it goes out of control, could pose challenges.

Dictionary definitions say that emotions are 'conscious mental reactions that are subjectively experienced as strong feelings, usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioural changes in the body'. Therefore, instead of 'processing' them, why not face them. Grasp the nettle, and soon you will be in command.

University of Michigan psychologist Ethan Kross says that instead of getting overwhelmed by emotions and getting carried away by them, or instead of trying to escape and avoid them, simply face up to them and take over.

You don't need to be robotic and obliterate all your emotions because, as human beings, we are all prone to feel some emotion or other, most of the time. So, why run away from them or try to drown them by resorting to substance abuse or violence? Replace reaction with considered response, and both negative and positive emotions could become your friends.