Emotional Lifespan
An emotion by itself does not have a long lifespan. In fact, according to Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, the lifespan of an emotion only lasts 90 seconds.
The part of your brain called the amygdala processes things you see or hear and uses that information to decide what might be dangerous or stressful. The amygdala is so powerful that it can process something and instantly take over, bypassing the frontal cortex, which is the planning and reasoning part of your brain. The amygdala also “remembers,” meaning if you ever encounter a similar, stressful situation in the future, it will cause you to feel similar emotions. This is an extremely useful aspect of your brain when faced with imminent, physical danger; it is not useful when you’re simply going through the motions of daily life.
But the good news is you can “reason” with your amygdala if you just wait 90 seconds. When you feel flooded with a strong emotion (fear, sadness, anger, anxiety), there’s a 90-second chemical reaction that’s occurring in your brain. During that time, you have two choices: You can choose to let the chemical reaction take over, ultimately making the emotion grow bigger and stronger. Or you can pause, recognize what’s happening, label the emotion you’re feeling, and accept it.
Option two is easier said than done, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.