“I am too emotional”, “I am always angry”, “I cry out of nothing”, “I am too sensitive”, “I feel nothing”, “I don’t want to feel”, “it’s a weakness !”, …
Do you relate to your emotions as “too much”, “not enough”, “none”, “not the right ones”, “not at the right time”, …
If this sounds familiar to you one way or the other, then it may be that you are looking at your emotions as a burden rather than as allies !
Yet, as human beings, emotions are basically Physiology. Since we all have the same physiology, we all have the same emotions !
Let’s say that our heart beats faster, our hands are sweaty (or cold), we feel cold, we feel like paralyzed or want to flee ? We are Scared. If an injustice is committed to our detriment, if an attack is made on our physical, spiritual or identity territory, then we can be Angry.
All these perceptions and emotions are reactions to certain situations.
Fear, Anger, Joy, Sadness and their associates Shame, Disgust, Happiness, Grief: what are they inside us ?
Basically, they are valuable Information about what’s happening inside us and help us react:
- Anger restores our boundaries, our borders with the outside: it helps us being Free.
- Fear gives us a warning about an immediate danger and helps us choose between fighting, fleeing or freezing: t helps us being secure.
- Joy is be shared and connects me to others.
- Sadness / Grief helps us say Good Bye, cry in someone’s arms, it is a step of the mourning process we have to go through sometimes.
Now it may all go wrong: intensity is too high and overwhelming, I am sad instead of being angry, I am angry instead of being understanding, I show nothing, I feel nothing, …
Well, therapy is just there to restore the balance, to feel what’s appropriate and proportionate in a situation, each of us in our original way ! and accept that our emotions Help us be very much human … ourselves.