The Benefits of Emotional Awareness

David Cain from Raptitude.com has written a terrific article about what emotions are and how being aware of them can help us move through life a little bit more smoothly.

David cites the work of psychologist Robert Plutchik who, in the 1980s, identified 8 basic emotions: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation. According to Plutchik, there are plenty of other emotions, but they are exaggerations of or mixtures of those 8 basic emotions. For example, interest is a softer version of anticipation and terror is a stronger version of fear.

Now as David speaks to, the real trick is not in being able to list basic emotions, but in being able to identify them in our life. Humans are emotional beings; our emotions guide us every day. Our emotions help us tell when our kid is fibbing to us. Our emotional reaction to food labeling or packaging might lead us to pick what we think is a healthier or tastier choice. Our alertness helps us drive to work safer. We experience emotions constantly. And emotions, in turn, help to shape our opinions, actions, and reactions. And yet, so often, we are completely unaware of what emotional state we are in.

When we are feeling anxious or fearful, we have a strong tendency to see all of the horrible things that may come to pass in the future. When we are sad, we have a harder time seeing the positive and hopeful aspects of the future. When we are angry, we have a hard time seeing the good in people and we blame them for things they didn't do or didn't mean to do. However, awareness is power. When we are aware that we are in an anxious or fearful state, it is much easier to recognize that we are seeing the future through some pretty seriously anxiety-tinted glasses. When we realize that, it is sometimes easier to gain perspective and not take anxious thoughts so personally. Anxious thoughts (e.g. "I can't handle this.", "What if I never get out of this anxiety hole?", etc.) aren't a reflection of you, they're a reflection of being in an anxious state - that's why you're often able to see the illegitimacy of these scary thoughts in a calm state, when the emotion of anxiety passes, so do the anxious thoughts. 

So enjoy David's article and try to start noticing what emotion you are feeling throughout your day. Then start to see how that emotional state affects your thoughts and feelings about the world around you and the future ahead of you. It's a simple exercise, but a very powerful one.