What are emotions? How to Get In Touch with Your Emotions?
How to Get In Touch with Your Emotions:
Maybe you were discouraged from expressing your feelings when you were growing up. Maybe you judge yourself harshly for becoming angry with your children or jealous of your partner.
Whatever the reason, bottling things up could be holding you back. Discover a new and more constructive approach to getting in touch with your emotions.
Benefits of Connecting with Your Emotions:
- Gain self-knowledge. Increasing your self-awareness enables you to develop and grow. You can clarify your goals and direct your energies toward the activities that are meaningful to you. It’s the first step in living with a sense of purpose instead of operating on autopilot.
- Enhance your relationships. Understanding yourself and others also makes greater intimacy possible. You’ll be more sensitive to how your loved ones are likely to react to any situation, and you’ll be able to provide more empathy and moral support.
- Build resilience. Any challenge is easier to overcome when you’re able to identify and regulate your emotions. You’ll have the motivation and skills to deal with setbacks without letting them undermine your self-esteem.
- Achieve more. Emotional awareness also maximizes your productivity. You can collaborate effectively with others and make sound decisions under pressure.
Strategies for Identifying Your Emotions:
- Name your symptoms. Try to label what you’re feeling. Make your language as specific as possible. Sadness could mean grieving for a lost pet or feeling listless on a rainy day.
- Look deeper. Keep in mind that your behavior may be deceptive if you tend to cover up feelings that you think are inappropriate. For example, do you hesitate to show affection because others might take advantage of you? Examine your true motives.
- Listen to your body. Physical sensations can reveal important clues about your emotional state. A clenched jaw and furrowed brows could indicate anger. Relaxed muscles and a warm glow suggest you’re happy about something.
- Meditate regularly. Create a quiet time and place for exploring your emotions. Observe your feelings without making judgements.
Strategies for Sharing Your Emotions:
- Talk it over. Practice putting your emotions into words. Tell others how you feel and why. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable can be scary, but the rewards are worth it. You’ll connect on a deeper level and feel more secure.
- Start small. If certain subjects seem too sensitive, you can prepare yourself by discussing things that feel less risky. As you become more confident in your skills, you’ll be able to address larger issues with ease.
- Work out. In addition to conversation, physical activity can be another outlet for strong feelings. After a rough day at the office, invite your coworkers to join you for a CrossFit class or a long walk. Tensions may melt away without saying a word.
- Do something creative. Art projects can tell the world how you’re feeling too. If you struggle with painting or sculpting, you can choose any medium that works for you. Pour your heart into baking cookies or designing a board game.
- Seek counseling. If you need more help dealing with your emotions, ask your physician or friends for recommendations for a counselor you can talk with. Therapy can be a safe place to process past experiences and try out new behaviors.
You may feel uncomfortable temporarily as the emotions you’ve ignored come to the surface but stick with it. Increasing your emotional awareness will prepare you for a happier and more successful life.
List of Emotions
When researching emotions in psychology, many articles discuss the work of Paul Ekman, a leading scientist in the field who has worked to pinpoint a list of emotions.
When Ekman surveyed over 100 scientists who research them, he found that emotional labels were empirically established, with high agreement on five basic emotions:
- Anger
- Fear
- Disgust
- Sadness
- Happiness
Other ones in the list of emotions that were endorsed by 40 percent to 50 percent of scientists as basics were shame, surprise and embarrassment.
Within the five types of emotions list, there are several complex ones and even facial expressions, so let’s dive a little deeper into each one on the main list of emotions for a better understanding.
1. Anger
Let’s start with the most debated basic emotion, anger. It may be difficult to detect during development, and it can be directed both inwardly and outwardly.
Although it’s often considered a negative emotion, anger is normal and necessary for survival. It allows humans to defend themselves during dangerous or toxic situations.
A list of emotions associated with anger include feeling:
- frustrated
- irritated
- infuriated
- enraged
- mad
- offended
- outraged
- displeased
- aggravated
2. Fear
Fear is caused by a perceived risk of safety and for the safety of others. The endocrine and autonomic nervous systems prepare the body to face danger, triggering the “freeze, flight, fight, fright” reactions that occur in the face of fear.
This is a normal, necessary emotional reaction that allowed our ancestors to deal with everyday dangers and threats.
Research highlights that a person’s perception and reaction of fear depends on his or her personality and mental health status. For example, a person who struggles with severe anxiety experiences greater levels of fear, even if the threat is considered less fearful by others.
Feelings that are associated with fear include being:
- nervous
- panicked
- anxious
- stressed
- worried
- horrified
- concerned
- unsettled
- uneasy
- alert
3. Disgust
Thought to emerge when our ancestors were triggered by potentially harmful foods, disgust is a strong disapproval and rejection of something offensive.
Feelings of disgust come about after experiencing something unpleasant, whether it’s a smell, sight or thought.
Feelings of disgust can also be described as:
- revulsion
- offensive
- nauseating
- disturbing
- disapproving
4. Sadness
Ekman describes sadness as a basic emotion that occurs when one loses a valued person, fails to achieve a goal or loses a sense of control. Research discussing the numerous expressions of sadness indicates that it can cause tears, chest aches and feelings of powerlessness.
It’s completely normal to feel sadness, and every one of these basic emotions, from time to time. It’s chronic sadness that impacts your daily life that becomes problematic.
Feelings associated with sadness include being:
- unhappy
- gloomy
- heartbroken
- disappointed
- disconnected
- grieving
- mournful
- sorrowful
- hopeless
5. Happiness
Since Aristotle, happiness has been described as an emotion that consists of pleasure and a well-lived life (or meaning). Of course, everyone strives for happiness, but what actually makes us happy differs depending on our culture and expectations.
Happiness is known to be highly individualized, as a person’s state of contentment is associated with his “wanting” and “liking,” according to researchers.
Some words that are commonly used to describe feelings of happiness include:
- joyful
- elated
- hopeful
- peaceful
- amused
- glad
- satisfied
- pleased
- delighted
- amused
Beyond this list of emotions, researchers agree that there are others that deserve research and recognition. They include:
- shame
- surprise
- embarrassment
- guilt
- contempt
- love
- awe
- pain
- envy
- compassion
- gratitude
How Emotions Affect Us
Emotions are related to the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemical messengers, like dopamine and serotonin, are released when the brain receives happy news, giving you that light and warm feeling that comes with this basic emotion.
On the other hand, a drop in these neurotransmitters causes sadness and the heaviness that comes with this emotion.
It’s completely normal for neurotransmitter levels to increase and decrease throughout the day in response to your experiences and thoughts. In fact, emotions help keep us out of danger and allow us to stay connected socially, which is so important for survival.
The most common neurotransmitters involved in positive and negative emotions include:
Although a shift in these neurotransmitters is normal and expected, chronic negative emotions can have a major impact on your health. Negative emotional states cause stress on the body, leading to increased inflammation, higher risk of mental health issues and weakened immune function.
Research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience advises that psychological stress triggers inflammatory activity and cognitive changes. Chronic sadness, for example, plays a significant role in the onset and recurrence of depression.
To recap, a shift of emotions, from negative to positive, is normal, but when you experience negative ones chronically, it can have major health implications. This is exactly why you want to work to regulate your emotions and address the triggers of negative feelings.
Related: Effects of Negative Thinking + How to Overcome Negativity Bias
How to Control Them
Identify Emotions
Being able to identify what you feel based on the list of emotions helps you control them or deal with them appropriately. This usually takes mindfulness and reflection.
Pay close attention to the physical signs of emotions, like sweating palms and racing heart for fear, body aches for sadness, and increased body temperature for anger.
Reflect on Emotional Triggers
The root of emotions aren’t always obvious — they can stem from deeper issues or insecurities. If you are confused about why you feel a particular emotion, investigate the potential triggers.
It may actually stem from an unexpected source, like being tired, missing a friend or family member, being hungry, or eating an unhealthy meal.
Practice Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness, which is a mental state achieved by focusing on your awareness at the present moment, helps you understand and accept your feelings. This moment-by-moment awareness makes it easier to detect and understand your emotions.
Research shows that mindfulness-based interventions have positive effects on psychological well-being.
How do you practice mindfulness? One of the best ways is mindfulness meditation, which allows you to focus on the feelings in your body.
Any other moments of quiet reflection are helpful, like taking a walk outdoors, practicing yoga, gardening and cooking.
Mindfulness or quiet reflection can help you work through your feelings, calm your mind and regulate your feelings.
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