Like being swept away by a strong undercurrent and brought out to a sea of turbulence—that’s what it’s like to become emotional. At best, you have been through it at some point in your life. But worse, you suppressed your feelings and turned your heart into stone.
Do you know that there is such a thing as emotional literacy? It is the art of learning and understanding your emotions. The objective of this psychological approach is to learn more about yourself. For every emotion—anger, jealousy, fear, joy—there is a corresponding physical reaction.
For example, a couple is having a heated argument over money or fidelity, and the effect on the body is the same—it gets physical. When strong feelings are involved, the signs are manifested and felt—high blood pressure, palpitations, hyperventilation, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches and unexplained body pain. More often than not, the heart, brain and stomach are affected.
The energy system in your body becomes highly charged and concentrated in specific areas. The physical sensations are either comfortable or uncomfortable.
While there is nothing wrong with getting emotional once in a while, what is cause for alarm is its frequency and intensity.
The truth of the matter is, individuals who are emotional may not even be aware that they are. They may even have reached a point of unawareness.
In short, emotional episodes happen so often that they appear normal and routine.
To acknowledge an emotion is to get to know a part of you which has long been in denial. And to see it for what it is becomes a way of unmasking it. Dragging it from the darkness into the light is a liberation of sorts.
New language
To learn a new language requires attention. When you read a foreign language phonetically, it appears that you know the language—it may sound that way. Therefore, it sounds like you can speak it even if you may not understand the words.
Much like emotions—you may act out instinctively without truly understanding what lies beneath your built-in “triggers.”
Like a new skill, learning your emotions requires your adeptness in the ABCs of feelings. Emotions belong to a living language, which expresses itself naturally everyday.
Spelling, grammar, syntax, style, pronunciation—all these are required to truly learn a new language. This, because the ultimate end is to use it as a new instrument of expression. And once learned, it must be practiced.
The demands are the same when mastering the language of feelings.
Do you recognize yourself?
The Emotional Type
He/she seems emotional or overly sensitive to others. However, there is a strong possibility that deep inside, the person is frightened by his/her emotions, and the person may use the same emotion if he/she wishes to see the same impact it has on others. By doing this, the same emotional outburst is used to control or manipulate others.
The Unemotional Type
Intellectuals like to over-think their emotions by classifying them as “non sequitur.” By not making any sense of feelings, they dismiss the fleeting episode as unimportant or “not worth their time.” It is a “sweeping it under the rug” kind of reaction.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean that they feel nothing. On the contrary, they actually feel much but are afraid to confront the real nature of their emotions.
Do you consider yourself an emotional person?
1) Do you believe that you have the right to express whatever you feel?
2) Are you frequently overwhelmed by your emotions?
3) Do other people say that you are very emotional and sensitive?
If you answered yes to all, then try this exercise next time you feel that tidal wave of emotion.
1) Stop and ask yourself, “Where is my emotion located now? What sensation am I physically feeling?”
2) Whether sadness, anger, or jealousy, allow yourself to feel it only for one minute. After the first minute, extend the awareness of your feelings for another minute. The more you are aware, the less destructive your emotions will become.
This week’s affirmation: “My heart is healing day by day.”
Love and light!
(Reference: “The Heart of the Soul” by Gary Zukav, Linda Francis)
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