HOW COME WE HAVE EMOTIONS?
As humans we are complex, thinking, feeling, and acting beings. Many people seek out therapy when their emotions feel overwhelming. So, what are these things we call emotions and that we all know so well?
Emotions are psychological states comprised of thoughts, feelings, physiological changes, expressive behaviors, and inclinations to act. On a nanoscale they are literally bits of energy, bumping up against other bits of energy, moving through our bodies.
We are born hardwired to experience certain emotions such fear, panic, and seeking. Other emotions are considered secondary and are learned through experience such as anger, shame, and disappointment.
Our emotions belong to two main categories, those that feel nice, and we want to lean into them, we call approach emotions such as joy, excitement, or caring. Those that feel difficult to endure or give us a sense of wanting to move away from someone or something, we call avoidance emotions such as grief, guilt, and disgust.
Human emotions have an evolutionary basis and carry purpose. They are:
Protective, life-preserving, and life-enhancing
Communicate to and influence others
Organize and motivate action
Give us information, self-validating
Shape meaning-making
As humans, one of our great life challenges is learning how to listen to the wisdom of our emotions, how to tolerate and build our capacity to feel our emotions, and how to allow them to metabolize and move through us. Therapy is a safe space to experience, explore, and practice processing emotions. Coriander Living Collective is here to support you and your emotions. Reach out!
