Feelings and Emotions

Feelings are internal. We feel inside of us.

Negative, angry feelings eat away at our insides.

For example, un-forgiveness and bitterness may cause dis-stress and dis-ease in our physical bodies, possibly leading to headaches, ulcers, cancers, tumours and other horrible things.

Happy, positive feelings sooth our internal organs.

For example, open-minded, non-judgemental, hopeful feelings, may improve our health, calm our minds, bring us peace, aid our digestion, clean our skin etc.

The first step, is for us to identify WHAT we are feeling. Or how we are feeling.

Identify it, name it, pin it down, examine it. Does it serve me? What caused it?

Do I feel anxious? Will I let my anxiety turn to anger?

Do I feel threatened? Will that feeling cause me to flight or fight?

Do I feel nervous? Can I convert that feeling to excitement?

Do I feel grateful? Shall I allow this to manifest itself as joy and laughter?

We can control our feelings to some degree, by choosing what we dwell on, what we think about.

Nobody else can see what we feel. Feelings happen inside.

They are invisible. But they are very real....

Emotions on the other hand, are E-motions - Energy in Motion.

To Emote, is to display on the outside of us, what is happening on the inside.

What will I DO with these feelings inside? How will I show them?

This is emotion; a physical action, belaying the inner feeling that caused it.

To bottle-up and push down a feeling is bad for us, if not dangerous.

Feelings need to be released as emotions.

How appropriate is our emoting? How inappropriate?

Do we let our feelings seep out safely? Or do we suddenly explode in public.

We can control our emotions.

When I'm happy, it is good and healthy to emote this by laughing, clapping, singing, dancing, smiling.

When I am sad, perhaps in grief, it is good to allocate time to sit with this and allow the tears to flow, allow the rage to well up. But make sure this is in a safe place, perhaps a controlled, deliberate environment, where other people will not be affected, perhaps with a trusted significant other.

So, that appears to be the progression:

A thought,

produces an internal feeling,

which is expressed as an external emotion.