Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
You and your friend need to pass the upcoming exam to avoid summer classes. After a week of studying. you feel confident, but your grades are much lower than expected. You're upset, but your friend seems unfazed. How can you stay positive and control your emotions?
Psychologists use the Process Model to identify intervention points in the emotion formation process, which includes entering a situation, focusing on and evaluating it, and experiencing an emotional response. Each step offers a chance to change your emotions.
Imagine you're invited to a party where your ex-darling will come. You could avoid the party, you could come to the party but avoid your ex-darling, or shift your attention by playing games with friends. If these do not succeed, you can temper your emotional response through sustainable methods like walking, deep breathing, or talking to a friend.
Practicing these strategies helps. Noticing and reflecting on your emotions is key. Learning to accept all emotions can make it easier for you to adjust to them. However, should you always strive to be happy? It depends. No emotion is naturally good or bad; they are either helpful or unhelpful based on the situation. Feeling and expressing sadness can help you comfort a friend whose relatives have died, while forcing a smile to get through a minor annoyance is reasonable.
In the end, everyone must find their own balance. Chasing happiness can cause negative feelings like guilt and frustration. Instead, try accepting your emotions and using techniques to foster hope for the future.
(Adapted from Ted talks)
