The 411 on emotions

The 411 on emotions

Why do I talk so much about emotions? It’s because, how we handle our emotions is important to our well-being. So first, what are emotions? Well, I really like Panache Desai’s definition. He says,” Emotions are merely energy in motion”. And what does energy like to do? It likes to move. And what do we do? When we feel an emotion such as anger or sadness, we try our best to avoid feeling it, and quickly either suppress it, or try to force ourselves to change that experience into one of peace or joy.

If you avoid feeling an emotion, it cannot move through your body. It becomes suppressed and causes havoc on your subconscious, and eventually to your physical bodies. There is a lot of new research which points to the role of suppressed, unresolved emotions as the cause of a lot physical ailments. And this makes sense if you view your body as an energy system, which it is.

What would happen if you simply allowed yourself to feel what you are feeling in the moment, and allow it to move through you? The answer is that the emotion would simply move through you and in about 17 to 90 seconds, the chemistry which is fired off in your body with each thought, would be complete. But what do we do? When we have one angry/ sad/ negative thought, we immediately think another of the same type of thought and then another and then another. And each time we think a thought, that chemistry is fired in our bodies. And so the emotional state we are in snowballs with each new thought of the same type. And you quickly find yourself in a negative mood.

So after we have worked ourselves into a negative emotional state, by continuing to think of similar thoughts, what do we do? We judge what we are feeling and try to avoid fully feeling the emotion by trying to make ourselves feel other than what we are feeling in that moment. The energy which is trying to move through, becomes stuck and starts to become problematic.

The next time you find yourself in a bad mood, try this. Simply sit with what you are feeling and fully feel your emotions, without allowing the mind to keep thinking other negative thoughts. If you are able to do this successfully, then you will find that in a very short period of time, the intensity of your emotion will subside, and you will begin to feel a little better. And as each emotion arises, allow yourself to honor it and experience it fully. The energy of the emotion will move through you and you will return to a more neutral space.

Stop judging your emotions. That’s the bottom line. Remember, they are simply energy which wants to move. We are the ones who label and judge emotions. Emotions simply are just energy. Remember that. And when you routinely allow yourself to feel what you are feeling, your experience of life becomes peaceful, and your physical health improves, also.