Did you know that we all experience 10 to 15 emotions every day?  If you have noticed this about yourself it means you are human, not overly emotional or too sensitive.  Be aware of how these emotions are affecting you.  Where do you feel them in your body?  Are they making you sweat?  Give them the proper name.  Allow yourself to feel your emotions.

Feeling your emotions helps you to move though them more quickly.  When you deny or repress your feelings you actually amplify them.  Most emotions are trying to tell you something.  Take a moment to look closer at really intense emotions.  What is beneath this feeling?  Here is an example.  Your mad because a friend waited 2 hours to text you back.  Are you angry or anxious about the strength of the relationship? If anxious, is it about this friendship or the one that ended last year.  If it’s about the old relationship, let it go don’t clutter this one with the baggage from the past.  If it is a problem with this friend, you can try to work it out.  Recognizing emotions and data they contain can help you to take appropriate actions.

Here is a short vocabulary lesson to get you started:

• Anger is an intense response usually to a perceived injustice.
• Frustrated is about hitting a roadblock.
• Annoyed is a mild emotion with a simple solve.  Leave the situation.
• Ashamed is fundamentally about your self-worth.
• Guilt is about something you did.  Make an amends.
• Humiliation comes from feeling bad about yourself and thinking that others are judging you.  Use positive self-talk.  Let it go.
• Stress comes from a lack of resources like money, time, or help. Stress is about here and now.
• Overwhelmed means you have too much on your plate.  Start saying NO.
• Anxious is usually about the future.

Looking deep into your emotions can reap major benefits.  Help you to address the situations and issues in your life.  Improve your mental health, increase your success, and add more meaning to your life.