By: Arwa Altaf
Emotions are the feelings that are triggered in the brain by external stimuli. Emotions are attached to people's beliefs of the positive ones being a force of motivation and the negative emotions creating havoc in our lives. They can be mystifying at times, most of us have felt extreme emotions in a blink of an eye. Be it sudden anger out of proportion or being gloomy for no reason.
The terms ‘Emotions’ and ‘Feelings’ are often used interchangeably but Antonio R.Damasio, the chairperson of the University of Iowa’s Neurology department, argues that emotions are more or less the complex reactions the body has to certain stimuli. When we are afraid of something, our hearts begin to race, our mouths become dry, our skin turns pale, and our muscles contract. This emotional reaction occurs automatically and unconsciously. Feelings occur after we become aware in our brain of such physical changes; only then do we experience the feeling of fear. Therefore, in short, emotions are the root cause for feelings being formed.
Our lives are surrounded by emotions and feelings. Preparing for an interview can cause restlessness, shortness of breath, or sweating leading us to develop feelings of nervousness and anxiousness which we all try to hide as much as we can to appear confident.
Emotions can oftentimes be overwhelming and confusing. Going through a recent death or traumatic experience can cause us to be depressed, gloomy, and blue but suddenly facing a good opportunity or an exciting moment can cause an unconscious emotional reaction of being happy. This leads to feeling varying emotions at once and can cause anxious feelings and sometimes guilt on how we can be happy when we just went through a traumatic experience.
Whatever we do, it is hard to not express our emotions, we can only try to hide them and try to control the anxiety and restlessness caused by them. The first step is to acknowledge the impact emotions have on our lives. Acknowledging will help us learn techniques through which our emotions and feelings can be regulated. Everyone should adopt certain techniques to understand their emotions better like taking deep breaths in tense environments, keeping a mood journal, yoga, or meditation. In extreme cases always reach out for help, approach your friends and family in regards to what sort of help you require. This can be in an example of a therapist, psychologist or just having someone to listen to you. The worst thing you can do is repress your emotions as it can lead to the build-up of certain emotions like anger to erupt at an uncertain time leading to severe repercussions along with guilt.
Keeping check of your close ones' emotions can provide better mental health for you. Try to keep those close who trigger emotions of excitement, happiness, and motivation and get rid of those toxic people who make you doubt yourself. Learn to accept every emotion and what it makes you feel as Victoria Klein states “Emotions make us human. Denying them makes us beasts”.
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