THE MENTAL HEALTH CORNER
Emotions
What are emotions?
Emotions are noticeable responses to significant events that involve distinctive feelings, bodily changes, and reactions.
Emotions are a normal and essential part of our lives and impossible to avoid.
There are manifold emotions, commonly organised in generic blocks: Joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation.
Emotions of the same block share several features but differ in intensity, e.g. apprehension, fear, and terror.
Moreover, emotions in different blocks can be combined to create more complex ones, e.g. ecstasy/happiness and admiration can combine to create love.
Independently of their valence, emotions are not to be labelled as good or bad. All of them serve a purpose, helping us to survive, thrive, and interact with others.
For example:
- Fear keeps us away from danger
- Admiration promotes self-development
What are the issues with emotions?
Emotions originate in the limbic system, a section in the midbrain that humans share with mammals, from a rapid information processing system that competes with rational thinking. That is why emotions may compromise our ability to make unbiased, sound decisions.
Under normal circumstances, emotions fade over time once that the situation that triggered them lapses.
For example:
- Regret after missing a goal in a ball match will disappear once we get involved in a different activity
- Apprehension about a semestral test will ease after test completion
However, if the trigger repeats overtime or we keep overthinking about or recalling the trigger, we may get stuck with the associated emotion, which will hinder our rational mental processes in the long term.
How to handle emotions?
- Be aware of how you feel. Identify the changes in your body and mind associated with specific emotions.
- Accept your emotions, even unpleasant ones, as natural and purposeful.
- Connect emotions with triggers. Reflect on the happenings and how they affect you.
- Feel free to express your emotions. Sharing your emotions is the only genuine way to interact with others.
- Learn to let go of your emotions. Clinging to specific emotions blocks your ability to adapt to life changes.
- Get help with difficult emotions. If you find yourself stuck with unhelpful emotions for more than a couple of weeks or strong emotions impair your normal functioning, you may need extra support.
Improving your ability to recognise and manage your own emotions will help you stay in control of your life, empathise with others, and communicate effectively.
Students, parents, and carers can contact the Psychology Service via email.
psychologist@crcstalbans.com.au