Negative Emotions Aren't Your Enemy!
- Yasmine El-Baz
- Jun 14
- 2 min read
In 1995, a Swedish adventurer named Göran Kropp embarked on a bicycle journey of more than eight thousand miles from his home in Sweden to climb through thigh-deep snow to reach the Everest summit. However, Kropp made the difficult decision to turn around just three hundred feet shy of the highest point on Earth! His choice was based on the late afternoon conditions and the likelihood that he would have to descend cold, fatigued, and in the dark.
Kropp's decision to turn around so close to his goal after investing so much was the ultimate right choice. As Kropp was recovering at base camp, the 1996 Everest Disaster unfolded when eight climbers caught in a blizzard died on Mount Everest while attempting to descend from the summit. Over the entire season, 12 people died trying to reach the summit, making it the deadliest season on the mountain at the time.
Kropp's doubt was lifesaving, and on 23 May, he again tackled the mountain, successfully summiting without extra oxygen support.
As I quote from "The Power of Negative Emotions", a great book written by Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener
"What many people fail to realize is that doubt, in moderation, performs a healthy function. Doubt is a psychological state that prompts us to take stock of our skills and to work to improve in areas where they might be deficient."
That's why I always encourage my clients to stop ignoring their stress, worries, or doubts when they have an important speaking engagement and to stop attacking themselves for having such feelings.
Being stressed can be uncomfortable, yet it can encourage you to prepare better and practice more when appropriately handled.
If you want to handle negative emotions better:
1) Start monitoring them.
2) Appreciate having those feelings as they are reminders to help you improve yourself and embrace your personality and speaking style.
3) Validate the emotions to state the right emotion.
4) Check for the triggers and everyday situations where those feelings arise.
5) Check for thought drivers that could have led to the feeling.
6) Validate the thought source and enhance it or the situation itself.
Having some doubts doesn't make you a less powerful person, nor will it hinder you from reaching your goals; on the contrary, it could help you become better and stronger.
In public speaking, it’s very common to have a rush of negative feelings that can be overwhelming initially. Still, when analyzed and handled, these feelings can help you focus on the essential elements that can transform your public experience for yourself and your audience.
Your negative emotions aren’t the enemy, but your denial and rejection are.
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