1. Almost all emotional reactions are involuntary.

2. But almost all of them can be reined in.

3. Even grief can be controlled, though it takes a great deal of time and reflection.

4. Lesser emotional reactions like envy and personal offense take only a little while to harness. But you have to *want* to squash those.

5. Your emotions will rule you if you let them. Eventually, they will become you.

6. You become this ball of fear or envy or offense and don't even realize it. But others do.

7. The Apostle Paul advised us to "take every thought captive" -- examine it closely for veracity, reasonableness, usefulness, etc.

8. Even if you aren't a Christian, this is a useful practice. Discard pointless thoughts rather than dwelling on them.

9. This is my recipe for sanity. You can cook it, too.

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