Self-restraint requires not acting on impulse and emotions. Praying through things instead of acting out of want or desire is one way we can retrain from doing things we should not do. One of the major obstacles of self- restraint is learning impulse control. Impulse control is the ability to react to circumstances thoughtfully. The key to controlling impulses is to be able to think beyond the moment. We must remove our thoughts and feelings from the immediate situation and think about the event as a whole. Putting the problem in context of a life or death situation might help to gain perspective. Patience is required to control initial impulses and maintain self-control. Unfortunately, patience is something that we must practice to control our reactions. We must train ourselves to wait for certain things in order to be prepared when we are required to wait. We need to have wait time when making a decision and not just make the decision because we want something now. The last thing we need to show self-restraint is temperance. Temperance is reasoning through emotions. Sometimes when we want or desire something we have emotions built up based solely on a perceived need. If we have temperance we can sort through these emotions easier and think more rationally thus helping us make a decision based on true needs and God’s desires for us. Impulse control, patience and temperance help us have self-restraint which can in …show more content…
There are three ways to help us control our emotions. One way to help control our emotions, is by praying. God is always with us every day and every step of the way. By just praying and asking him to help we get the chance to step back and calm down. Then, He is able to give us a Heavenly perspective for our earthly problems. Another way to control our emotions, is by self-talk. Self-talking can help when there is a decision to be made or when emotions are running high. Self- talk can be as simple as speaking encouraging words or remembering that God is in control. The last way to help control our emotions, is by recognizing our emotional triggers. If we know something is going to make us mad or upset and recognize it beforehand, we can prepare ahead of time and plan alternative reactions. We may even need to go as far as to role play our responses to problems. When we recognize our emotional triggers, pray and self-talk we are able to maintain emotional control, thus making up the third and final requirement of