A cost benefit analysis on emotions

When it come to almost any decision we make in life. Most of us by default go through a cost/benefit analysis.

Is staying at this stressful job worth the income?

Does this persons flaws outweigh their positive traits to keep them in my life

Should I buy a new car or a used car with some mileage on it.

We do this because we want to make sure that if we are going to “spend” something uncomfortable, we want to get something in return.

When it comes to emotions, we often allow ourselves to vent in our anger, sadness or worry with the benefit of…..nothing.

The prompt to try to keep in mind here to help mitigate uncomfortable thoughts and emotions is “does feeling this way provide me with a net positive outcome” or “is this uncomfortable thinking worth the time I am spending on it”.

It is a gentle prompt to remind ourselves that ruminating on the rude employee at the grocery store is not worth the time it taking away from being happy at home with your family. Sometimes the feelings ARE worth the time or consequences - so this is not a rule. However often there can be a benefit in a simple reminder of inquiry as to whether or not you really want to be allowing yourself to experience this type of distress with negligible benefit.

If uncomfortable emotion or thoughts are something that you struggle with, reach out to Philadelphia therapist Noam Dinovitz at 484 424 7722 or Noam@Dinovitzcounseling.com