The first step in being able to manage your emotions in a healthy way is to be aware of them.

Being aware of your emotion separates you from that emotion, and gives you the space you need to recognize that the emotion is happening. This helps you to form judgments as to whether your actions in response to the emotion are appropriate and effective. A self-aware person is conscious of what they are feeling, and can use that understanding of emotion to change how they act.

How do you learn to recognize your emotions? Paying attention to the following 5 Factors can help you become aware:

1 - Physical Reactions: While it is true that you can tell a lot about other people by their "body language", it is also true that you can tell a lot about yourself through an analysis of your own body language. Noticing that your arms are crossed protectively while you interact with someone, chances are you are feeling some fear and insecurity. On the other hand, gritting your teeth and clenching your fists usually mean anger. The important point is that your emotions do get expressed through your posture and physical sensations. By tuning in to them you can learn more about how you are feeling.

2 - Your Thoughts: While your initial reaction to this one may be, "Well, of course I can tell how I feel by what I think!", don't be so sure. Most people have certain automatic thoughts that happen when we are upset - but because they are so automatic we may no longer be aware of the feelings associated with them.

For example, when you are upset about something you may think to yourself, "This sort of thing always happens to me." But the same thought may not occur to you when something good happens. How we think has a great deal to do with how we feel.

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