Decoding Your
Emotions in 3 Steps
Decoding Your Emotions in 3 Steps
Certain traits define us as a human race and one of them is our emotions. Despite our origins or age, we all experience them throughout our lives. While some cultures feel comfortable displaying a wide range of emotions and are accepted or sometimes expected; others censored them to the point that they become numb to their existence. Regardless of the case, there is an essential aspect that is often overlooked-perhaps due to a supposed familiarity with them – and that is why they exist in the first place.
Since there are many definitions of emotions, I’ll condense them by highlighting what the big majority of these have in common: 1) They are composed by feelings accompanied by bodily sensations 2) Can be triggered by an actual event, a thought, or memory 3) They vary in levels of intensity; so you have high energy emotions positive or negative, and low energy emotions also positive or negative.
According to Robert Plutchik’s, a psychologist who developed a psycho-evolutionary theory of
emotions, there are eight primary or basic of them and are expressed into opposites:
• Joy – Sadness
• Anger – Fear
• Trust – Disgust
• Anticipation – Surprise
Primary emotions are associated with aspects related to the survival of the species; are universal, and common to all cultures. Their purpose is to: a) Help us adapt to changes in our environment b) Build emotional connections with others and, c) React in case of danger.
All other emotions, according to his theory are born from the combination of two of the primary ones. For example:
• Joy+Trust = Love
• Anticipation + Joy = Optimism
• Surprise+Sadness = Disapproval
• Fear + Anticipation = Anxiety
So, how can we apply this information to our daily lives? When we learn to recognize the real function of emotions, they become a tool to help us live a happier life rather than being
controlled by them.
Let’s use stress, for example, it has become very common in our modern world to feel this way however, stress comes as a result of a perceived threat and activates what is known as the fight-flight response in our bodies. After the “threat” is gone and we are “save” again, we should go back to a relaxed state. This last piece is critical to learn, since we are not designed to be in this state for long periods. Not doing so becomes harmful to our health and overall well-being.
Something else to consider in the case of negative emotions is that they keep us in a state of survival and out of balance, hence not allowing us to tap into our own natural brilliance…(Yes, we all have this).
What can you do next?
Start diving into your own emotional cocktail and get curious with what you find following these 3 steps:
1) Observe – It has been said that we are creatures of habit, therefore the first step to take is to identify what are your habitual emotions and write them down so you don’t forget.
2) Discover – Even-though there are many ways to go about discovering your habitual emotions, I’ll walk you through a lineal technique so you can grasp the concept of inquiry. a) Begin to identify what are your triggers and in which part of your body do you feel them. b) Once you get triggered, how long does that particular emotion last, is it minutes, hours, or days? c) If want to take it to a deeper level, try to recall when was the first time you felt that way and why? Please keep in mind, that if at any point during this process what you discover feels overwhelming to handle by yourself, consider looking for professional support.
3) Transform – Begin to recognize when you are triggered or close enough to reach that state, and set up healthy mechanisms that can help you return to a relaxed state. For some people the simple act of going for a walk does the trick, for others, it can be reading, singing thei favorite song, or even going for a run. Feel free to try out different things until you find the ones that work for you.
As the author of your own story, you can decide consciously which emotions you want to feel and act accordingly; instead of reacting based on current triggers. Once you integrate this awareness, you are ready to move on and create something new that is fulfilling for yourself and those around you. The choice is yours and the time is now!