There is a toxic mindset that exists within the world today, that emotions are a bad thing. That the emotions we experience are something to be pushed aside. Avoiding your emotions is encouraged, often not realizing by avoiding your emotions, you are stacking past hurts on your shoulders, weighing you down everywhere you go until the burden becomes unbearable..

Have you ever heard a statement like this before?

“Why are you so emotional?”

“Emotion has no place in the workplace.”

“You don’t need to be so emotional about it…”

In a world where we constantly feel the need to be more and do more, sometimes we can suppress emotions which we perceive to be negative.

In order to protect ourselves from being judged by others for being a ‘downer’ or ‘negative’, we can push down how we truly feel.

When we fear being criticized or judged for our feelings, we hide them away.

And while it is true that we want to focus on positive emotions in order to create and maintain a beautiful state within ourselves, doing this should not mean suppression or avoidance of other, more difficult emotions.

Emotions are not negative. | Avoiding Your Emotions

They simply are as they are. It is our attachment to or suppression of them that is negative. Emotions, when given space and allowance simply pass through us. Like a deep inhale followed by an exhale, when emotions are given freedom to move, they do not last.

Pain and sadness given space, gives way to relief and gratitude.

To live authentically in a truly beautiful state is to be completely at one with the present moment, and we need to learn to embrace that this will include feeling emotions.

When we avoid emotions they do not disappear. | Avoiding Your Emotions

They simply get locked into our bodies and create negativity and even dis-ease. These locked emotions stay with us until we have the courage to face them.

Sadly for many of us, this takes a lifetime to discover, and for many of us, it is never known at all.

Instead, we carry them around like dead weight, all the while they affect us and cause us pain without us even knowing.

Allowing yourself to feel and express your emotions is a basic human need. To deny your feelings is to deny yourself of life.

You deserve the time and space required for you to process how you feel. Numbing yourself to the way you feel is not serving you.

When you choose to consciously feel your emotions, you deepen the connection you have with yourself. You also deepen your connection to the present moment, because you are no longer moving away from it in order to be comfortable.

So starting today, make a pact with yourself to never deny yourself of fully feeling your emotions. I promise you, it will change your life.

The post Why Avoiding Your Emotions Won’t Help You To Heal Them – Here’s What To Do Instead appeared first on Fearless Soul - Inspirational Music & Life Changing Thoughts.

What differences are there between feelings and emotions, and what impact do our thoughts have?

We tend to use the words “feelings” and “emotions” interchangeably.  Though related, there are distinct differences worth understanding.

Feelings vs. Emotions vs. Thoughts

Do you ever question how our mind and body processes emotions and feelings versus thoughts? Wondering which happens first?  Or ponder which has the greater power over our decisions, life path, and overall quality of life?

By gaining insights about these different nuances, we can put that knowledge to use in making better choices.

We can change our thoughts and ultimately create positive change in our lives.

Here’s a breakdown to offer some clarity:

EMOTIONS

Emotions are physical reactions, often stemming from an outside influence.  Sometimes these stem from internal experiences, such as being spurred by a memory rather than an immediate outside influence.

Since emotions affect our bodies at a physical level, these are objectively measurable.  We can truly monitor brain activity, blood flow, body language, and facial micro-expressions.

According to Debbie Hampton (author of the book Beat Depression and Anxiety by Changing Your Brain), “Emotions are lower level responses occurring in the subcortical regions of the brain, the amygdala, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortices, creating biochemical reactions in your body altering your physical state.”

They precede feelings and are more instinctual and physical in scope.

(Example: You’re out hiking, and the only way to cross a river in your path is to traverse an old rickety bridge.  Your body may have an instinctual and visceral reaction, resulting in the emotion FEAR.)

FEELINGS

What are feelings, then?

Feelings are the result of our thoughts interpreting our personal experiences, and their associations with emotional experiences.

Emotional responses are biologically based and more instinctual, so there isn’t much variation from person to person.  With feelings, on the other hand, results vary greatly between individuals since these are linked to our unique associations and memories.

What’s particularly interesting is that emotions and feelings can create somewhat of a “loop.”  An emotional experience can cause a feeling.  Over time, the concentration on that feeling creates linked emotions that stem internally from the associated feelings.

(Example: Once you crossed the bridge mentioned earlier, you focused on what other obstacles might lay in your path.  This may result in the FEELING of being afraid.  This is similar to the fearful emotion, but distinctly different in that it is the THOUGHTS about the EMOTION that create the FEELING.)

THOUGHTS

Thoughts are mental processes that serve as the link between our emotions and feelings.

They represent our beliefs, opinions, ideas, and over time, our attitudes.

How we THINK about an experience (one that has evoked an emotional response) will feed the associated resulting FEELING.

(Example: Using the bridge example again, after crossing, you may have ruminated about how difficult your hiking path was.  Or you may have thought about how many other obstacles could be ahead.  These THOUGHTS lead to FEELINGS – feeling afraid as one example.) 

How This Understanding Can Benefit You

Our internal experiences are created by emotions, thoughts, and feelings – all working together in a connected way.

Whether or not we can easily change our emotions is uncertain because limited research has been done to-date.

However, research does exist to show that you can change your thoughts and create new thought patterns.

In changing your thoughts, by association, you can alter your feelings.

You can CHOOSE what you focus on (for example, by choosing to think about the excitement of an adventure rather than what other obstacles may lie ahead).

And you can CHOOSE to feel brave rather than afraid.

Changing our thoughts and feelings related to emotional experiences is not necessarily easy.

However, you CAN affect substantial positive change in your life by reframing your thoughts. It merely takes practice.

Ultimately, the truest benefit is an enhanced life experience.

The post What Are Feelings vs. Emotions vs. Thoughts: How Nuances of Each Effect Positive Change appeared first on Fearless Soul - Inspirational Music & Life Changing Thoughts.