Decoding Our Emotions
Though often taken at face value, emotions aren’t self-contained aspects of our humanity. Our emotions are beautifully nuanced indicators of the happenings in our hearts and minds.
Think of feelings like different colored lights sending critical messages to us. Each feeling a different message.
When we get curious about our emotions, we can begin to decode the messages. Some emotions might be immediately obvious to us - like the frustration and pain of stubbing our toe. Others might be familiar to us yet have a wide range of causes - such as feeling down and sad. Then there are the more mysterious emotions that catch us by surprise.
Pausing to ask ourselves a few questions can help us understand the emotion.
What sensations do I notice right now?
What am I feeling?
Can I get more specific?
When did I first notice the feeling?
What was happening then?
What comes to mind as I think about what happened?
Why might I be feeling that specific emotion?
This might seem cumbersome at first and perhaps not even worth the effort. But as we practice this curiosity again and again, we’ll develop a sort of decoding muscle. Each time it will be a little more natural than before.
To remember today: Decoding our emotions may not be easy, but it is worth it.