Identifying Your Emotions and Expressing Them
Identifying Your Emotions and Expressing Them
Definition: Complex mental and physical reactions to an occasion or circumstance are known as emotions! Deeper emotions can include feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, rage, and shock, and our thoughts, actions, and social interactions can all be affected by these emotions.
Sometimes we have a hard time identifying our emotions, and this may be due to social stigma or cultural reasons. I’ve counseled families in cultural situations or where emotions were not ever acknowledged or treated as something important. Therefore, these children grow up as adults ignorant of how they are feeling, unable to acknowledge their feelings, and unable to cope with these big emotions. Here are a couple of tips on how to just pinpoint or identify some of your deeper emotions and eventually express them:
Identifying the emotion: Consider for a moment how the emotion is expressing itself physically. Do you feel tight or are you experiencing any additional bodily symptoms? Be aware of the bodily manifestations of your emotions, such as clenched fists or a racing heart or butterflies in your stomach.
After you've done that, give the feeling a name. This can aid in your ability to comprehend what you are experiencing.
Consider the emotion and any potential causes for it. To accomplish this, inquire into your feelings by asking yourself, "What am I feeling?" or "What does this sensation make me think of?”. What occurrences or experiences are behind these emotions?
Expressing your newly identified emotion: After identifying and analyzing the emotion, it's critical to constructively express it. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, such as through speaking with someone, journaling, or creating works of art or music. It's critical to discover an outlet for your emotions that seems natural to you.
After you've expressed your feelings, take some time to consider how you are feeling. Has the emotion changed at all? Is it still there or did it disappear?
After you have recognized and understood the emotion, it is critical to create coping mechanisms. This can be done through talking to someone, journaling, or mindfulness exercises.
If you need assistance with identifying, managing, and/or expressing your emotions please feel free to reach out to one of our specialized therapists! We would love to hear from you.
