What are emotions?
According the the American Heritage Dictionary, an emotion is:
“1. A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, and anger.
2. Such mental states or the qualities that are associated with them, especially in contrast to reason: a decision based on emotion rather than logic.”
4 Basic Emotions
- Mad
- Sad
- Glad
- Scared
These are agreed as the basic emotions. Some authors include two others (Surprise and disgust) to make a total of 6 basic emotions.
Like primary colors from which other colors can be made, our other emotions like jealousy etc are combinations of the basic emotions.
Three key things to know about your emotions
I. What triggers them? Be aware of your triggers.
What makes you angry? What are your buttons. What triggers your other 4 basic emotions? What triggers other compound emotions.
How work: Find out what your triggers are.
II. How do your emotions manifest in you.
Knowing how they manifest physically in you is important. For example, anger in some people causes tightness in the chest, an upset stomach.
Home work: Figure out how your emotions manifest in you.
III. How to cope with your emotions (i.e. How do you manage your emotions?)
How do you currently cope with your emotions? How should you cope with them?