Responding to letters from clients, observing the lives of loved ones and friends, paying attention to my own life, I increasingly notice how differently emotions can change the present and future of people. When I think about emotions , I remember the old Soviet cartoon about a dragon. There, a little boy defeated the dragon and the dying dragon told him: “Now you are a dragon!” And after a while, the boy, succumbing to his greed and anger, turns into a dragon, a tyrant... This is a clear example of how uncontrollable emotions can destroy our lives. If we do not try to control emotions, they simply “arise”, “encompass”, “capture” and it’s already difficult for us to stop - not to be rude, not to shout, not to be offended, not to be scared... And it turns out - scandal after scandal. Or - refusal to increase wages. Or – conflicts with children. This applies not only to negative emotions. When we do not know how to manage our positive emotions, to “create” a kind of positivity for ourselves, then we remain dependent on life (whether we will be lucky or unlucky) and on the people around us (whether they will do something for you that will make you happy; will they fulfill your request or not). I don’t take into account bad habits (alcohol, smoking, etc.) - which first cause relaxation and the illusion of peace, and then destroy our health. And there is no harmony in the soul, and there is not enough joy... And it becomes lonely... But what to do? How to catch this “dragon” and how to learn to control it? First of all, recognize that “he” exists. In different situations we experience different emotions that we may not like. Take courage and tell yourself: “Yes, I’m angry!”, “I’m furious!”, “I’m offended,” “I’m afraid.” The second thing is to study “his” habits. Understand what makes you angry, offended, annoyed, what you are afraid of, what makes you happy, what inspires you. In what situations do you experience what feelings? The third step is to act “proactively.” For example, you know that you begin to get angry and offended when your wife does not meet you at the door in the evening. Don't wait for your "dragon" to attack, ask your wife to meet you. Take care of yourself. Or, for example, a woman is constantly offended by her husband because he does not give her flowers for her birthday. She gets offended, “dumps” a “heap” of reproaches on him for this, and time after time her birthday becomes the beginning of a scandal. Don't wait until you get offended. Ask your husband in advance to give you flowers for your birthday. Take care of yourself. Create for yourself those conditions and situations in which your “dragon” will peacefully doze on your shoulder. Fourth step. Be patient, because it will not be the first time, not the second, not the third, or even the fourth time that you will learn to live peacefully with your dragon. If only because there are many situations you cannot control, they simply do not depend on you. Your loved one may not immediately understand what you are asking for. Your wife may meet you at the door in a completely different mood than you would like to see her in. Be patient and learn to forgive yourself and others for things that don't go according to plan. The art of forgiveness is a very important art. It is very difficult to learn something if you scold yourself for failures. Try to control the effect of emotions on your life and at the same time forgive yourself and those around you for mistakes. And then you can achieve harmony in your life. Good luck to you!