Your emotions are what is behind everything you do as a human being. What’s bothering you, motivating you, or getting in your way are all something most easily identifiable by locating the root of what you are feeling. This task might actually be more difficult than you realize because most humans aren’t sure how to accurately articulate emotions. In an article provided by Psychology Today, Helene Brenner, Ph.D., and Larry Letich, LCSW-C discuss how to allow honest feelings to emerge.
Feelings are complex. For example, you can’t assume that you will always feel a specific way about a certain thing, and there also is no way you “should” feel about something. Emotions are a process occurring in your nervous system, and they are continually generated and constantly changing. It is not possible to feel how you felt yesterday, and there is no way to predict how you will feel next.
The authors explain, “The emotional circuitry of the human brain evolved millions of years before the advent of modern human language.” Essentially, emotions are wordless. The way you feel can be felt so deeply that you can actually physically feel them, instead of just emotionally. Words are a helpful tool to allow others to understand the emotions we are experiencing, but the feelings exist beyond words.
The labels for various emotions are clear, but six words cannot encompass the entire experience of the many things humans can feel. In fact, research has proven that there are actually more than six emotions, and you can also have more than one feeling at once. Initial feelings are felt in your body in the present time, and they emerge slowly. It often does not start as words, but once you process you can formulate words to describe it.
So how do you identify where your feelings are coming from? Emotions are not always well-defined. When you suspect there might be something you’ve been suppressing that could be influencing your behavior, check-in with yourself. You might feel relieved once you appropriately pinpoint what is bothering you. Dive deeper into your feelings and process your past experiences to avoid the emotional buildup.
Consider reaching out to a mental health professional if you are having a difficult time trying to organize your feelings. Identifying where negative emotions are coming from is a complex process that a counselor can help you through. It is worth it to understand the reality of where your feelings are stemming from and begin to process them as much as possible.
References:
Brenner, Helene, and Larry Letich. “6 Things You Might Not Know about Emotions.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-feeling/202204/6-things-you-might-not-know-about-emotions.