How are you feeling? No really, I mean it. How are you feeling?
Do you know?
Knowing how you feel requires connecting with yourself and knowing where you’re at in the moment. We remember the past and plan for the future but all we ever have is the moment. You’re in it right now. What do you feel? Not sure? That’s okay.
Take a look at the emotion wheel below. Start in the middle. Pick the one that best describes where you’re at. Now, follow that emotion to the middle ring. Get more specific. Pick the descriptor that best matches what you feel. Go one more step, to the outer ring. Pick the option that suits you best.
It’s possible, expected even, to feel more than one emotion at a time: take note of them. Some emotions are more enjoyable than others, such as joy over grief and happiness over jealousy. Labelling some emotions as “good” and some as “bad” is easy, but doing so doesn’t serve us in the long run. A different approach is to label all emotions as messengers. Every emotion is worth listening to. None are worth elevating above the others, and none deserve to be repressed. Our emotions are trying to inform us of something; they’re trying to deliver information.
Happy: our needs and wants are being met, keep going
Sad: someone or something we value is gone
Disgusting: something is potentially harmful or unethical
Angry: a boundary needs to be set or enforced
Fearful: there is danger or a threat
Bad: you’ve been doing too much for too long
Surprised: be alert, this situation is rapidly changing
Every emotion has a message meant to inform the actions we decide to take. Emotions are not meant to be directly in charge. We shouldn’t act out of anger or happiness. We should act while informed by emotion, along with everything else we know.
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