Feelings

What are feelings – the dictionary informs us there are 4 different descriptions for feeling’s

1. An emotional state or reaction to something
2. An idea or belief, ie; he had the feeling he was being watched.
3. The capacity to experience the sense of touch
4. A sensitivity to or intuitive understanding of something ie: my teacher says I have a real feeling for art/English/dance

There are five categories of emotions.

1. Enjoyment/joy
2. Sadness
3. Fear
4. Anger
5. Disgust

In 2015 Pixar Animation Studios produced a 3D computer-animated comedy film called ‘Inside Out’ which was set inside the mind of an American girl named Riley; whose basic emotions controlled her actions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. Her experiences become memories, stored as coloured orbs, which are sent into long-term memory each night. (its worth a watch; really!)

Whilst that might sound a bit far-fetched our emotions do originate in the neocortical regions of the brain. Our feelings are sparked by emotions which are shaped by our personal experiences, beliefs, memories, and thoughts linked to that particular emotion.

So, strictly speaking, a feeling is the side product of your brain identifying an emotion and giving a certain meaning to it (based on your experiences etc). Clever eh?

The feelings we experience, positive or negative, are there for a reason. Fear or anxiety may tell you to that something doesn’t feel right, there may be a potential threat and help you respond accordingly.

For example: if you are walking out alone in the dark and you hear footsteps coming up behind you; you may choose to get your phone out and chat to someone loudly, telling them what a fun night you’ve had, saying where you are and generally alerting the person behind you that you are letting someone know where you are………….or you might run, or knock on a nearby door…

Each of these responses will be based on a personal experience, belief, memory or thought that you have previously had. You may have seen a film where someone knocked on a door when they were being followed,……….

The English language has more than 4,000 words to describe feelings: that’s a lot of feelings! And we don’t all experience feelings in the same way – how can we, our experiences are all different!

For example: for some people a trip to the zoo might trigger excitement and a sense of awe of the majestic elephants/tiggers etc. Someone else might feel anger and outrage at the sight of these majestic animals being held in captivity; their belief being they should be roaming free in their natural habitat.

Or maybe the sight of a homeless person in the street brings up feelings of compassion or sadness for you; whilst your friend feels disgust and maybe even fear or anger towards them. So, remember your feelings are unique to you and no can tell you that you don’t have the right to feel a certain way. Remember it’s your experience that’s informing your brain.

It’s too easy to identify as sad, mad or bad, take a look at the emotion wheel and consider how you actually feel rather than what you’re used to identifying. It might be frustration rather than anger, or upset, or you might feel lonely or bored rather than sad. Identify it and you may just be able to change it!