I know this may sound like too basic of a question, but with the latest research out there, I thought we should ask the question again… What are Emotions?
(Chat GPT and I collaborated on a definition): Emotions are complex, multi-layered experiences that encompass psychological, physiological, and behavioral responses to stimuli. When we talk about feeling happy, sad, anxious, or excited, we're referencing emotions that arise in response to both internal and external triggers, such as memories, thoughts, or situations. Emotions are essential because they provide us with information about our interactions with the world and help us navigate it. They allow us to respond quickly, signaling to our minds and bodies whether something is safe, dangerous, fulfilling, or unfulfilling. End quote.
Fun fact #1: “Emotions are like waves—just 90 seconds long (if we let them).” Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor shared this nugget of wisdom in her book My Stroke of Insight. She breaks down the science behind emotions, explaining that if you’re not overthinking, an emotion’s chemical burst clears out of your system in about a minute and a half. Pretty cool, right? Turns out, we’re the ones hitting “replay”!
I really love the concept of emotions in motion. They are natural to feel, all of them, even the uncomfortable ones, and they naturally move through us…if we let them. In 90 seconds! Try letting an emotion move through you like a wave. What happens?
Fun fact #2: “Your body is like a diary, and emotions are the secret entries.” Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score is a deep dive into how unresolved trauma and emotions sneak into our muscles, tissues, and even our posture. In a way, the body “speaks” the language of emotions through chemical messengers, resulting in distinct bodily sensations for each emotion. Spoiler: your stiff neck might not just be from bad sleeping positions.
Here is another something you can try…
I highly recommend a daily emotional-body scan to locate and be with your emotions. It’s as simple as directing your attention inward with a few deep breaths. Feel into whatever feelings or physical sensations reveal themselves to you, and allow them to be. Remember… emotions have a 90 second life span of intensity that moves through your body, if you allow them to. Once you try to suppress, control, fix, or attach meaning, the emotions slow down and can even get stuck. So a practice of feeling and allowing them to move through is a wonderful way to be with yourself compassionately and with acceptance, and at home with your inner world.
In your emotional body scan, you can start by watching for the 6 primary types of emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. Do you feel any of these and if so where do you feel them and do they show up with any memories, thoughts, or other emotions?
If you start to feel distressed or threatened in any way while doing this exercise, you can exit stage left by getting back into your thinking mind with some healthy distraction/distance from the deeper experience. You can get this distance by thinking about your thinking and/or focus on your 5 senses in the physical space you are in. For example, what do you see, hear, touch, smell, taste? keep breathing deeply; then journal what happened and talk to a friend, coach, or therapist about your experience!
Truth be told, the interplay between the body and the emotions is not only the key to the deepest level of self-awareness, but it is also the pathway to healing any unresolved emotional pain within.
Stay tuned for more Emotions in Motion!
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