How are you feeling? Happy? Sad? Excited? Angry? What are emotions and why do we experience them?
Emotions are our internal responses to life events. Different kinds of events produce different emotions and it is possible to experience a range of emotions at the same time. Some emotions that we feel can be pleasant to experience (happiness, gratitude, awe, contentment, excitement) while others can feel unpleasant (anger, sadness, jealousy, fear, guilt, shame). However, regardless of whether an emotion feels pleasant or unpleasant, it is normal and important to experience all possible emotions.
Why is it important to pay attention to unpleasant emotions? Why can’t we just ignore them and hope they go away?
This is because life is full of challenges and unpleasant emotions arise to tell us there is problem that deserves our attention. If we are to ignore unpleasant emotions, then we won’t be able to understand what is causing them. Just like not treating a physical wound makes it worse, not dealing with unpleasant emotions may make the problem worse and more difficult to solve later on.
So what does it mean to have healthy emotions?
To have healthy emotions is to be able to experience emotions appropriately and regulate them effectively. For example, “Rafeh feels disappointed after failing an exam but is able to deal with the unpleasant emotions and work hard for the next one.” Signs of unhealthy emotions include feeling overwhelmed by our emotions or suppressing them. For example, “Rafeh is overwhelmed by disappointment after failing an exam and is unable to focus on the next ones.”
So do you feel that you are able to experience emotions appropriately and regulate them effectively? Do you think you have healthy emotions? What happens if you don’t look after your emotions?
To learn more, visit the distress section.