Okay, let’s be honest. How often do we think about our feelings?
Most of us can easily spend hours, days, weeks, or even months without ever giving to our emotions a moment of thought. As a psychologist who specializes in childhood emotional neglect, I often talk to people about their feelings, and that’s why I know this is true.
Usually, we are consciously aware of our emotions only in situations where we feel strong emotions. When we experience a significant event such as a marriage, a death, a graduation, or a disaster. When we are outraged, excited, thrilled, shocked, or happy. When this happens, we can write down what we feel inside, or even say to someone, “It was a great thrill,” “I’m devastated,” or “I’m so happy!” for example.
However, our emotions are an incredibly valuable source. We were born with them literally wired into the mind and body for a very important reason. Our emotions give us constant feedback on what is good and bad for us.
Our emotions are the deepest, most personal expression of who we are. When we know how to use them, they are our most useful tool in this life, helping us to survive and thrive.
As you read the list below, think about yourself and where you can use this new knowledge to help you. But the really great information is that the help is already within us right now. All we need to do is pay attention!
- You will learn about yourself
As the deepest expression of the “I”, your feelings are the truest thing you have. When you consciously use your mind to notice what you feel, you connect your mind to your body and thus learn what you want, what you feel, and what you need. This gives you a deep sense of truly knowing yourself.
- You will be more present in your body and in the moment
When you focus on your body and ask yourself, “What am I feeling?” it grounds you. It connects you to your true self and brings you into the present moment, and that automatically makes you stronger.
- You will make better decisions
It is your feelings that tell you what suits you best. What you love, what you like, what makes you happy or bored, or what just feels right to you. When you pay attention to your emotional reactions to things, your brain is trained by your body and your body takes advantage of your brain. In this way, you gain the skill to make choices that match your true self.
- You will be less vulnerable to what others think
When you tune into your “inside” and trust it, then you have a guide in life. Τhat doesn’t mean you don’t receive comments or opinions from others. It just means that you are not overly vulnerable to them.
- You will have the option to manage and control your emotions
When emotions are out of your awareness, they hold the power. They can make you say or do things you later regret or hold you back from valuable opportunities. But when you are aware of an emotion and name it for yourself, it allows you to manage the emotion instead of allowing it to overwhelm you.
- You will be able to connect better with other people
Being consciously aware of your feelings makes you more approachable. Why? Because when you tear down the wall that is suppressing you and making you ignore your feelings, you simultaneously tear down the feeling of oppression and the fact that you were ignoring your deeper self. This affects how others perceive you. People feel it when they don’t get the full and true you.
- Others will be more comfortable with you
Just as people feel when they don’t get the full you, they also feel when you are yourself. Think of someone you know who seems an inherently authentic and trustworthy person. Surely this person knows his/her feelings.
- You will have more energy
Emotions carry energy. Think of anger, passion, love, disgust, or joy, for example. When you feel them, they drive and motivate you.
- You will have a stronger sense of personal orientation
When you receive the burst of energy from an emotion and you know that emotion, it directs and guides you in your life.
- You will feel more worthy and confident
When you are aware of your emotions and fueled by them, when you mostly trust your inner self and know who you really are, you will stop putting other people before you. Realize that you are important. Deep down, you know you matter.
- You will protect your health
Suppressed, blocked, unprocessed emotions can cause heart disease, back pain, hypertension, overeating, poor sleep, and many other physical problems. Being consciously aware of what you are feeling contributes to your overall physical health.
- You can be protected by others and others by you
Emotional awareness is a boundary between you and others. It allows you to filter and manage your reactions with others, as well as their actions and feelings towards you. In this way, emotional awareness is like a superpower.
- You will trust yourself more
Consciously making decisions based on what you feel inside – instead of what other people think, for example – allows you to perfect your own choices and decisions. You won’t always make the right decision because no one always makes the right decision! But you will certainly learn more from your own decisions, which will allow you to perfect yourself. With better awareness of who you are the confidence you feel about yourself will increase.
- You will live a fuller life
The world of emotions enriches and enlivens us. With energy, direction, and a deep knowledfe of who you are and what you want you will have the confidence to take risks, make clear choices, and at the same time protect and guide yourself.
We are fed by our emotions, we rely on the connection between the brain, your inner self, and the heart, we can maximize all the gifts that, simply by being human, we are born with them. By using them as they were meant to be used, we can become our truest truth. All of this makes us stronger, with more confident and better overall.
Πηγή: psychcentral.com
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