The Importance of Emotions
Emotions are defined as an affective state of consciousness in which different feelings are being experienced. Naturally, we are pleased to experience emotions such as joy, love, or excitement. These emotions allow the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) in our brain to release a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine has many functions but it is best known as the “feel-good” hormone and gives us a sense of pleasure when traveling through our “reward” pathway. When we are experiencing these emotions, we typically have no complaints, it is when we begin to experience negative emotions like shame, hate, or fear that we get uncomfortable.
Naturally, we try to navigate these negative emotions. Some of us find ways to ignore them, while others can find themselves consumed by the things they are feeling. While one option may sound better than the other, neither of these are ideal. Emotions whether positive or negative are essential to our human identity. They are not unique to one person because we all experience them. They not only allow us to connect to ourselves, but to others as well. Think about it, when you are truly connected to yourself it is much easier to communicate your wants and needs and establish boundaries with your friends and family, all while being able to respect their emotions. You no longer have to allow people’s responses or decisions affect your mood, instead you are fully aware of where you stand and can communicate that with them. Additionally, we gain a new perspective of our problems and we can navigate our own issues while spending less emotional energy worrying about the things we can’t control.
If you follow the Evolving Still Instagram page, this may sound familiar to our post defining emotional wellness and the importance of learning how to be an emotionally well person. First, it is imperative to acknowledge the emotions that you are feeling, both positive and negative. I can’t stress how important it is when practicing self care to allow yourself the grace to simply be. When we acknowledge our feelings we give ourselves the time to ruminate and really think about how and why we are feeling the way we feel. As important as this step is, we also must accept our emotions. Accepting our emotions frees us from feeling any additional embarrassment, disappointment, or guilt. Sometimes we may feel a way about something that we don’t necessarily want to feel a way about; however, there is not much we can do about it other than accept it. By accepting it, we take back the power that we tend to allow our emotions to have.
More than we like to admit, our life choices are controlled by our emotions-- specifically, what I like to call our “loud emotions.” Loud emotions result in impulsive behaviors. These emotions demand all of your attention. Whether you’re in a good mood and have an itch to spend money or you are experiencing negative emotions and feel like disconnecting from everyone in your life, these emotions are ultimately in control. These are the best times to practice emotional wellness. Take a second to step back, allow your feelings to be, and make an executive decision that you won’t regret once the feelings pass. Unfortunately, no matter how far along you are on your journey, there is no healthy way to “turn” off your emotions, so it is important we learn how to navigate them.This will take some practice, but as you continue to acknowledge and accept your feeling you will gain the ability to quiet those emotions and continue living your best life.