How the hell do I shut him out and move on with my life?

Do you know the difference between a blue sky from the starry night? Than you have your answer here. Don’t listen to the voice when it speaks. After a while it will drown out over the volume of the voice you choose to listen too.

Is it okay to cut him off forever?

It is always okay to cut out toxic and negative sources from your life. Whatever and whoever they may be. It is not always easy, and there is sometimes pressure from external sources. It is possible to be both grateful to a person for what positive contributions they have provided and to cut them out of your life for the negative contributions that stifle your own growth.

How do I keep people from getting into my mind?

I’m in your mind right now, because you have asked me a question and I am now providing an answer. We’ve never met, most likely never will. And yet, I am influencing your train of thought as we speak….er, type…read? Conversation, interaction, knowledge. These all compose our mind. The mind is not ‘who’ we are. It is an immaterial reaction to our environment, designed to keep you alive by influencing your choices and behavior based upon changes in our environment. ‘Who’ we are is the singular point of awareness behind this process.

A man cannot step into the same river twice, as an ancient philosopher once wrote. This is also true of the man himself. We change moment to moment. Thought to thought.

And how do I keep my emotions in control?

By not letting them influence your actions and choices. The fundamental flaw within this question is that we can control our emotions. We cannot, not anymore than we control our environments. We control *only* ourselves.

As far as feelings go, they are visitors. Let then come and go. They are natural reactions to what happens to you. Millions of years of survival designed to keep you alive. Don’t deny, repress, dismiss, or discourage them. If you’re mad, be MAD.

Just don’t act on them. This includes what you say to people. This is how you are not controlled by your emotions.

Never lie to yourself. Everything else will follow.