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How can I make illogical feelings go away?

31 Answers
Last Updated: 05/11/2021 at 8:13pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Sarah Robb, LISW-S (Licensed Independent Social Worker, Supervisor Designation) and LICDC (Licenced Chemical Dependency Counselor)

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. Life poses many challenges. Learning to face, cope with, and resolve these challenges can increase our resilience.

Top Rated Answers
Isabella97
September 14th, 2014 1:44am
In my experience all feelings have some sort of logic to them. We may not always understand them or even want to have them but there is usually a reason for why we feel the way we do. The best way to make these feelings go away is to reflect and try and figure out what is causing them. This can be fairly difficult to do on our own so it helps to talk things out with a friend or maybe even a Listener from this site. There are other methods such as keeping yourself busy to distract yourself or to listen to music when you're feeling those illogical feelings in order to try and evoke a different emotion, but none of them are going to work as well as figuring out what is causing those emotions and deciding on a course of action that is best for you. But just as a side note, all of your emotions are valid and real, just because you don't understand them or want them that doesn't make them illogical. You are entitled to feel however you want, and you shouldn't feel like your emotions are ever irrational or wrong. Sometimes they're really hard to deal with, but that's where we come in and help to support you while you navigate through them.
Anonymous
November 5th, 2014 11:56am
Think about illogical feelings as an adversary. A challenge. They exist, no doubt about it, but they aren't necessarily all you think they are. With help, you can see who your adversary really is, and you may be surprised about how easy it is to gain a victory over him. Chat it through with a listener... they'll help you take control of those feelings.
JasmineBloom
September 24th, 2014 1:51am
I used to have a very similar problem. Sometimes in certain situations I would feel stressed or scared when there was really no reason for me to. For me, what helped best was to face my feelings. Trying to reject some feelings would only make them loop around stronger, but facing them without resisting would help me come to terms with who I was. Being comfortable with myself was an important factor in finally letting the anxiety go peacefully.
SomeGamerGirl
October 15th, 2014 10:47pm
I find that listening to positive music or doing something I enjoy can help me to make illogical feelings go away :}
zaatarHoney
June 17th, 2015 8:37am
I find simple affirmations to keep reminding myself to help subside the illogical feelings - and there is no permanent fix, but I keep reminding myself as many times as I need... the moments of peace I receive in-between these thoughts get me by until I finally let go. "You cannot go into the past to fix it. What will be, will be." -- "Yes you did ____, but at least you didn't ____. So, it could be worse. You're good." -- "You're overthinking." -- and other simple phrases along those lines.
lexi714
September 19th, 2014 9:23pm
Personally, I have looked up techniques online on how to help yourself differ real feelings from fears and anxieties. Try relaxing yourself and doing breathing techniques and telling yourself that what you're feeling is unrealistic and perhaps write down logical feelings to replace those illogical ones.
gentleBeauty54
September 7th, 2015 4:23pm
I think for me to get rid of the illogical feelings to go away are to write down in my journal the illogical thoughts and then write the logical thoughts beside them it sure helps me to do that
CuriousOne
July 28th, 2015 5:16pm
No feeling is an "illogical" one per say. Feelings are a part of us, and the more you struggle to ignore them or change them, you probably will feel worse about the situation at hand, and about yourself overall. Trying to accept what you are, and what you feel is a great start to resolving your problems, because by accepting your feelings, you will begin to understand the "How´s" and the "Why´s", which will help you on your journey to finding the answers you've been looking for!
LondonLostGirl
April 10th, 2015 11:24am
Feelings are often illogical. Don't let it bother you much. Focus on doing something you like. The feelings will fade away with time.
Lovethehurt
November 19th, 2014 8:17pm
The best way is to stop and think. Try focus your mind on something different, maybe try to look at it from somebody elses point of view.
Anonymous
November 16th, 2014 10:59pm
feelings don't go away easily but i am actually in CBT which is cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT's whole purpose is try to logic out the illogical thoughts. on of the strategies i have used in the pass is pretending i am onlooker of the situation and try to give myself advice if i was another person going through the same thing and same thoughts hope that helps :)
HerforU2580
October 23rd, 2014 2:37pm
you can try to to occupy your mind with other activities that can work for some people or try talking to someone
Stag
October 11th, 2014 8:56pm
Acknowledge them for what they are and accept their validity, but also try to engage them in a rational frame of mind. Look for the evidence, look for the reasoning, and if it doesn't exist, use that to mitigate the feeling.
Anonymous
August 17th, 2015 2:44am
In this case its usually a case of distancing yourself away from the emotional attachment to the situation. You can start by thinking with your mind first, or writing down the facts to be organized, or try thinking about how you will view the situation if it was happening to others.
cloudystarlight
May 11th, 2021 8:13pm
In my experience you cannot simply will a feeling away. Feelings want to be felt, and surpressing or ignoring them can be counterproductive and unhealthy. Instead try acknowledging them, naming them and then moving on. They will not go away, but knowing what you're feeling and truly being able to identify it, is already a big step and will lessen the immediate control it has over you. Feelings often aren't logical, and that's okay. Recognizing them and then letting them be as they are is the best way to go, in my opinion. In time, they might go away on their own.
Anonymous
January 4th, 2021 7:44am
You are not going to like my answer. Short answer: you can not control your emotions. We feel how we feel, and there is nothing we can do to change that. However, we can control how we react to our emotions -- our behavior. We can also control our thoughts to some extent, in that we can create new ones and reduce the intensity of ones already there sometimes. If we try to force a feeling away, it will come back stronger, just like how a dog will chase us with more intensity the faster we run. Many of us have tried to suppress our emotions, just go numb and not feel them. This just means we never really deal with them, and they may spring out at us at the worst possible times. In summary, we cannot control our emotions, but there are things we can do that make them harder to cope with, such as pushing them away or suppressing them. So what can we do then? You might have heard the answer in a Sharing Circle: we let it be. We do absolutely nothing, just letting those feelings we don't want sit there. Not ignoring them, but also not examining them. Just letting them exist until they naturally leave our mind, like a wave crashing onto shore and then being pulled back into the ocean or like a cloud sliding over your head and then drifting out of view.
Anonymous
April 27th, 2020 5:22pm
If it is possible, take some time away from whatever is causing you to experience these illogical feelings. However, if they keep pestering you, then try and share these feelings with someone who is supportive, while also being able to remember understand that your feelings don't have to be in charge of your actions. Not only that but, maybe consider the fact that there may be some underlying issues that could be causing you to have these illogical feelings that still need resolving. However, it is probably best to not bottle up these feelings as it could one day explode.
ingeniousPeace79
March 18th, 2019 5:10pm
That's the worst you can do actually. Because they will retaliate. Repression, or trying to kill emotions or feelings, is the worst strategy to deal with them. It's not about make them go away. Emotions are there for a reason. They are barometers. Like gauges in the car, telling you the state of car, the state of the environment maybe, if it's a healthy situation, or not, etc. so, destroying the gauges in the car, think what this would mean, if you are driving :D in the same time, instead of trying to kill the negative, the actual productive way is to focus on the positive. basically, instead of destroying what you don't like, the solution is to focus on building what you like. why? because you cannot try to destroy something, without focusing on it. and that's what they are after. everyone. every habit. every thought. every emotion. people around. "thank you for your attention", right? it took me a while to get it, but clearly you have to focus on positive, building it and when negative comes, you have to don't touch it not fully ignore it, but, like when you see something in the corner of your eye, peripheral view. that's the best way to deal with emotions, even with those that are insisting to catch your attention, forcefully. acknowledge them, listen to what they are saying, but come back continuously to what you want to build. being stubborn is an advantage here:D
adoringOcean608
February 7th, 2017 9:29pm
One simple, therapeutic way, is to imagine your emotions as a ball of flame. Focus on the emotions fueling your feelings. Then, imagine yourself closing your hands over the flame, snuffing it out. You can also think of yourself throwing water onto the fire, letting your negative feelings go away with the fire.
Greatlistener87
- Expert in Managing Emotions
June 27th, 2016 9:24am
You have to question yourself why do u think its illogical and why is it illogical. The more you can make sense of why it is illogical the more you will know that it is not worth it to care about it.
GoldenEars77
January 4th, 2016 1:45pm
“We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got this from our parents. Carried away by our worries, we're unable to live fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can't really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life. We speculate, dream, strategize, and plan for these "conditions of happiness" we want to have in the future; and we continually chase after that future, even while we sleep. We may have fears about the future because we don't know how it's going to turn out, and these worries and anxieties keep us from enjoying being here now.”
kindMoment44
October 27th, 2015 11:46am
Well, first try to find the cause of those illogical thoguhts. I sit down, away from everyone, try to rationalise what I am saying, and calm myself down, before soing anything. At first I am very paranoid and OTT about everything, beleiving that everybody is fake, conspiring and nobody loves me. By the end of the small self talk, I feel bad because I realise that I was being over the top, and that what I was feeling was due to misunderstandings. People aren't books that can be read easily, but we do need to understand that not all intentions are bad, and don't beat yourself up for feeling how you are- its not your fault, its just simple misunderstandings. Be careful not to overthink, and give yourself time.
fromthesea
November 9th, 2014 1:03pm
I think you just have to wait until they go away. You can't control feelings or emotions, even when they're illogical. You're human and it's okay to feel how you feel.
enlightenedSummer73
August 10th, 2015 7:35pm
Sometimes it helps me when i realise that i am in control of my monkey mind...it is not in control of me! I can then think of my feelings and rationalise them, distancing yourself from your feelings help you to see whether they make sense or are illogical.
Br33zyS3tz
July 29th, 2015 9:29pm
Illogical feelings, emotions, notions; they are always present; its important to acknowledge and conceptualize these feelings, in an effort to let them go, to let them escape, to relieve yourself from such burden. First, it is essential to FEEL these things, to understand and recognize that you are not thinking logically, rationally, appropriately; next, let these emotions out by means of expression, allow yourself to rid these illogical fears, concerns, worries, from your mind and body. Relax, take deep breathes, do something fun and exciting, occupy your mind with activities, meditate, focus--on the tangible, and the real. Illogical thoughts seem to liner sometimes, they aim to consume us, but its important to recognize the illegitimacy of such thoughts, to not get caught in their trap, to move forward and progress with rationality and useful logic.
JenTink
October 28th, 2014 4:49am
Write them down and try and give reasons for them. If they're illogical, you won't have a reason. If you have a reason, you can start to work on it.
Anonymous
October 29th, 2014 6:48pm
Take some time think about what are you feeling and why are you feeling that way. It helps to write out your thoughts or say them out loud. Sometimes when you speak out loud, even if it is to yourself, you can see how illogical you are thinking.
Yahantei
November 2nd, 2014 10:16pm
It is important to acknowledge these feelings as normal. Even though they can be intrusive, they have no power over you, and don't mean anything about you. It is helpful to take a few slow breaths and say "hello" to these feelings with a smile.
nehssa
November 4th, 2014 9:34am
I would write down these illogical feelings, and possible outcomes because of these feelings. Writing this down will make it so I can make some logical conclusions based on different outcomes, etc.
Anonymous
November 15th, 2014 1:32pm
Emotion is something that is vey hard to control, you just have an emotion, you don't choose to be happy or sad, you just are. So if you are having illogical feelings its hard to control them, we understand.