I feel like if I ignore painful emotions they will go away.
If something seems scary for me, I create the worse case scenario in my mind and play it in front of my face at full force until it quickly seems unlikely, or at least until I grow numb to the fear. Then, I find that I soon won't notice the danger or cause of what is bothering me and can brush it off like an annoying bug. For example, I like to pretend in my mind that I am jumping off of high places, convincing myself in every sense...right on the verge of my brain sending instructions to my muscles to physically jump...that I am leaping to my death until my heart and adrenaline calm.
If I hurt someone's feelings, and feel bad about my choices, I take consolation in that I tried to make it has gentle as possible and seek to focus on ANYTHING else that distracts me from the pain of guilt. For example, I like to play video games and read books to escape the pain of breaking up with girls, because it takes my mind off of the memories of the "us" I severed.
If I am sad about something, I work to talk myself into discovering the root of my ache, and knocking it down and making it seem trivial. For example, I can break down and cry hard for 5-10 seconds and quickly recover myself by ignoring the sadness because I realize it is only temporary. I convince myself that it isn't worth the effort or emotion to be sad since it won't last.
I realize that my methods are probably not psychologically...likely even physically healthy. I believe that as humans we have such a variety of emotions for a reason, and it is likely that feeling them is a natural occurrence. But I have discovered a way of blocking out the negative and being slightly and realistically optimistic. I have taught my body and mind to react a certain way to situations, and I adore my malleability. Only later did I discover the philosophical school of Stoicism, and find that I am far from the only person who uses this approach in their lives.
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