This is the day to

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This is the day to

• get control of your emotions

2
The source for this material and for our 25-Day
CT Challenge is

• 25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living A
  Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life, by
  Dr. Linda Elder Dr. Richard Paul, Pearson,
  2006 and the Center and Foundation for Critical
  Thinking, CA.

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Check out your emotions today

• Look on the surface emotions of which you are
  aware
• Look beneath the surface emotions you want to
  deny you feel
• Look closely at the role of emotions in your life
• (Drs. Elder and Paul, in 25 Days to Better
  Thinking, Ibid.)

4
Check out emotions of others

• Notice how people often justify their own
  negative emotions.
• Notice how often they object to the negative
  emotions of others.
• Notice how we tend to invalidate the emotions of
  those we consider beneath us.
• Notice how we tend to negate the emotions of
  those whose views we do not share.
• (Elder and Paul, Ibid.)

5
Two sides of the same coin

• Drs. Elder and Paul suggest that People are
  often confused about the role of emotions in
  life. (Ibid)

• Placing people in two categories
• Thinkers
• Feelers
• Is a conceptual mistake
• All of us think
• All of us experience emotions
• Throughout the day, every day

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Thinking vs Feeling consider the implications

• or, consider this statement The problem in our
  relationship is that you are a thinker and I feel
  things I am an emotional person.
• (Implication and you have no emotions, and I
  dont think? )

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thinkingfeeling

• Feeling happens in the mind as a result of how we
  think in any given situation.
• (Elder and Paul)
• (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid.)
  

• If you find yourself feeling negative emotion,
  stop and ask yourself Why? What thoughts are
  you having that cause this feeling?
• Resolve to attack unproductive thinking with
  productive thinkingleading to productive
  feelings.
• (Ibid)

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Positive emotions

• Feelings and emotions are an important part of
  your life--and of her life, of his life, of their
  lives.
• Feelings can be positive or negative. They can
  be justified or unjustified. You can use your
  emotions effectively or ineffectively.

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Take control of your emotions

• The purpose, then, of taking control of your
  emotions is to accent the positive, the
  justified, the effective emotionsleading to a
  better, more positive life.

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Feelings can usefully influence and drive
thought. (Drs. Elder and Paul)

• e.g., if you are angry about something you
  think is unjust, your anger can drive you to
  think about what you can do to eliminate the
  injustice.
• (Ibid)

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• If you dont experience many negative
  emotions,it may be that you are living a
  predominantly rational life, and therefore you
  experience the positive emotions that come with
  reasonable, unselfish living.
• (Ibid)
• Or

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or

• It may be that you can get what you want without
  regard for the rights and needs of others. For
  example, the successful dominator primarily feels
  positive emotions, (see Day 15, Dont Be a Top
  Dog).
• (Ibid)

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It is up to you to determine the truth about
your emotional life.

• (Drs. Elder and Paul, in 25 Days to Better
  Thinking )

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Strategies to get control of your
emotions (from Drs. Elder and Paul)

• Begin to notice the emotions you regularly
  experienceis there a pattern? What thinking is
  leading to this emotion?
• See if you can identify some irrational thinking
  underlying the emotion. If so, attack that
  thinking with better, more sensible thinking.
  Once you act on the new thinking, your emotion
  should begin to shift accordingly.

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more strategies from our authors

• If you experience negative emotions frequently in
  your life, look closely at what is causing these
  emotions. Is it you? Is it irrational thinking?
  Is it a dysfunctional relationship? Is it your
  job?
• Until you directly face the root of the negative
  emotions, and do something to change the
  situationor to change your thinking, and thus
  your feelings about the situation a new
  paradigm, if you willthe negative emotions will
  keep coming back.
• Attack your mind with thinking that leads to
  productive behavior and positive emotions.

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and most importantly, focus

• Focus more concretely on your emotions write
  about them keep a daily journal that targets the
  negative emotions you experience. Look for
  patterns. (Ibid.)
• Instead of the Daily Reflection Notes format,
  you may want to print the next slide (print
  current slide only) for todays challenge
• (or print both)

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TARGETING EMOTIONS

• One negative emotion I feel is
• The reason I feel this negative emotion is
• The thinking (or situation) I need to change in
  order not to feel this negative emotion is
• A more productive way to think is, If I change
  the way I think, my feelings should change in the
  following ways

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This is the day to get control of your emotions
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Daily Reflection Notes

• Print the following slide, one copy for each day
  of this week, (remember to use print current
  slide).
• Reflecting and making some notes on your thoughts
  and experiences of the day help to internalize
  this challenge, as you know.

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DAILY REFLECTION NOTES

• Today I was successful in using the following
  ideas/strategies
• The key insights that emerged for me today were
• One problem in my thinking that I now realize is
• I plan to continue working on this problem using
  the following strategy