Why do we get so angry when we someone says something that we disagree with yet dismiss something else they have said that may have been equally as hurtful? Why are we often stuck for words when we become angry? Why do we say hurtful things which we immediately regret? Emotions are the reason.
Emotions are what sets us apart as humans. They allow us to connect, allow us to read a situation. Emotions can be just as destructive as they can be rewarding. Even the most hardened criminal has emotions unless of course they are psychotic. In that case they were born with emotions and unfortunately lost them through ill-treatment during their upbringing.
During the day, we ride the roller coaster of emotions, from the excited highs to the desperate lows. So how do we keep emotions under check? How do we avoid saying something that we later regret. Positive emotions are what we need the most of to keep positive thoughts feeding into our brains. Our brains are wired to think negative thoughts therefore positive emotions allow us to re-wire the brain to stop focusing on the destructive negative thoughts.
Whenever you are in a situation where negative emotions are running high, control them by taking a long slow deep breath. Avoid saying the first thing that comes into your head, think about what you are going to say while taking the deep breath. If this doesn't work, change your position by either stepping sideways, standing tall, or moving in some way to distract your brain for a split second to avoid the neurons heading to the negative side of the brain.