Strong Emotions

Growing up we learn not to be swayed by our emotions. To not be so ‘emotional’ and to learn to cope with emotions that confront us. This perhaps has led us to subdue them, lessen their importance or even suppress them.

And this would have been a difficult task because emotions are our body’s way of communicating external stimuli with us. Our body cannot tell us that something hurts without us understanding what pain is, and we do not know to move our hand from heat without our body providing us the feeling of pain. Whether the communication is telling us about an external threat or a perceived delight, we are still required to decide how we want to respond to it, emotionally. Emotions are how we learn to communicate with the energy of the external world. Emotions are simply E-Motion or energy in motion.

Being emotional is not a pitfall, but not being in control of your emotions can be. Learning the difference between reacting and responding is the difference. Say you open the fridge to get the lunch you prepared but your partner has eaten it. An initial reaction is frustration, or anger and you may yell at your partner. Responding is noticing the issue, allowing the emotions to arise, but waiting for them to subside before choosing how to interact with the external situation. Finding this space doesn’t mean the issue has been resolved, it means that you have a choice as to how you will respond.

Is the issue as big as you perceive it to be?

It may not be. But if it is, this is where you can calmly speak to your partner about how it frustrated you, that you didn’t appreciate it and for them to please not do it in the future.

Two very different outcomes.

Notice that the emotions were not suppressed, but were able to be managed without chaos.

Emotions are important. Listening to them will give us insight into our true feelings about people, and situations. At first they may feel confronting because we are learning about what we truly want, something we are not used to doing. Eventually this is all you will follow, what you trust most.

Most importantly, learn to sit with your emotions. Don’t react, respond. Learn the difference. Be guided by your internal light.

What you want may not be what you think you want.