Emotions are a vital part of our life as human beings. It is said that emotions evolved in response to ecological challenges faced by our primitive ancestors. Every emotion has a distinct neurological circuit. It was, and is, important for our survival!
There are many emotions, but in the 20th century Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions that we all go through – happiness, fear, anger, sadness, disgust and surprise.
Right now, countries are going through different stages of the pandemic (COVID-19). Some are moving towards the end of the first wave while in other countries we can see the beginning of the second wave. People are feeling a whole range of emotions.
This is a really hard time for many where jobs are lost, health (both emotional and physical) is affected and loved ones are gone.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are people who still have their jobs, are healthy and thriving.
Regardless of which end you are, it has resulted in negative emotions. In the first case, it is natural to feel negative emotions like anger, sadness and fear. In the second case, people are feeling sad because they are afraid that they too can catch the virus or maybe they have lost a loved one. Another reason for their sadness is because they are feeling guilty; guilty that they are thriving when someone they know is in financial hardship or ill health.
So, is it ok to be emotional?
Expressing our emotions is an auto-wired response. In some cultures, it is very common to express emotions openly whereas, in other cultures, people are not allowed to express emotions.
When someone is emotional, it means they express their emotions. It is good to be emotional because the emotion is letting you know how you feel. It is telling you – something good or bad has happened and you need to do something about it.
When you suppress your emotions it often results in ill-health in your body ranging from memory loss to bad sleep habits to weight gain to mental fatigue. Eventually, they will work their way out in some way.
Know that it is okay to feel emotions – both good and bad. Here is an article where I talk about energy and ‘how to deal with emotions’. There are some simple ways to let out your emotions – from journaling to talking to friends; but if it’s hard, seek professional help.
“Know that you are on this earth to experience an awesome human life.
Your life is a journey and your attitude is the guide”
Stay safe and take care.
