Looking At Negative Emotions From A Positive View Point

Fear

It is a well known fact that fear hampers our life and growth to a huge extent. "Your growth lies on the other side of fear" is one of the most famous quotes which you may have come across umpteen number of times in motivational and self help books.As we say there are two sides of a coin, we have read a lot about the negative aspects of fear there are lots of techniques developed by psychologists on how to overcome fear but we have yet to come across the positive aspects of the emotion 'FEAR'. Here are a few of them

• Fear of losing control helps us to take the steps necessary for regaining control over our live
• The fear of failure pushes us towards setting up goals and organizing going beyond our capacities
• The fear of living alone helps us in compromising and adjusting with others which is a very essential factor for nurturing interpersonal relationships
• The fear of the unknown stops us from taking non calculated risks in life
• The fear of dependency urges us to develop our own resources and become independent                                  Thus in proper amounts fear protects us physically as well as psychologically it only cripples us when it is in excess and distorts our perception of reality. So it is up to you to utilize it for your development and growth by capturing the positive aspect of fear or choose it to deteriorate your development and growth by loosing control over it  

SKILLS TO SHARPEN YOUR LISTENING ABILITIES AND STRENGTHENING YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Attentive listeners distinguish themselves by using a variety of skills. These skills enhance a conversation and forge a bridge of understanding between the speaker and listener. among these skills are the following:

• Probing - This is used for finding out more information and deeper feelings.Be concerned with who..what...when...where...why and how.
• Clarifying - Ask the other person to explain something they said
• Summarizing - Sum up your understanding of what the other person said
• Confronting - Ask the other person to explain inconsistent remarks. Be gentle;confronting responses can lead to defensive reactions.
• Supporting - Make it clear that you agree or at least support the other persons statement
• Affirming - An affirming statement or non verbal gesture is a positive indication of your approval or understanding. It is often done by grunting nodding or by interjecting short comments
• Restating - Repeat back what another said..this provides an opening for them to continue , or it allows them to hear what you think they said
• Reflecting - Look back and analyze what has been said this adds insight or speculation to the conversation
• Bouncing - Make a statement or quote another and ask the person to react to the statement