Turn the Other Cheek

Can't you read the sign?!

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling totally zen monk today: I am regulating my emotions like a champion.  A metacognitive champion.  If you've been following along this week, hopefully you feel the same.  Let's review: we've tracked our emotions, made it to work without flipping out, escaped a bad situation, and kept our cards close to the vest.  That's right, we know how to control our emotions.  But, guess what?  Other people suck at it.

Time to empathize.  Just because we are awesome and amazing self-regulators doesn't mean the rest of the world is, right?  Metacognition doesn't exactly seem to be the most popular twitter hash-tag (I've checked).  So, we shouldn't expect the rest of the world to be zen monks like us.

That means that you may come in contact with someone flippin' his lid.  He may scream, cry, brood, or rock back and forth.  Whatever it is, just realize that emotional regulation is difficult.  Because life is difficult. And, if a person doesn't think he has to, needs to, or can control his emotions, he won't.

Turn the Other Cheek

Task: Maintain calm while someone else loses emotional control.

Info: Why should the emotions of someone else modify our emotions?  They are thoughts in someone else's mind - they aren't "real".  Even if that person starts showing their emotions big-time, there is no reason we need to escalate our own.  Instead, let's adopt an empathetic stance: "this person is having a hard time, and I am going to let them take it out on me, because that's what they need right now."  Controlling a natural tendency to "retaliate" may take some effort, but it's worth it.  There's nothing dumber than yelling at someone to stop yelling.  Except maybe yelling at someone to relax... or sleep.

Goal:  Find fulfillment being a rock for someone else.

If you've been paying close attention, this DMG is very close to the Week of Empathy's "Dependent".  Today's game looks at the same challenge of helping someone cope from the perspective of self-regulation of emotion.  However, using a desire to empathize can be a handy mental trick for making self-control easier.

How is the Week of Calm going for you?  If you've been enjoying these challenges, please consider sharing The Happy Homunculus with your friends... Thanks!