We all have feelings, emotions ... ways of feeling that tell us how we are or if we need to improve something in our lives in order to find internal balance. Each and every one of the emotions we feel is important, both those that are considered positive and those that are considered negative or more intense.
But what exactly are feelings? Feelings, emotions, affections: over the years, these they have had many different meanings to many philosophers, researchers, and clinicians.
There is a whole range of feelings that extend beyond the basics. But all feelings have one thing in common: they arise as a result of a reaction to emotions. Emotions and feelings are often used synonymously, but they are not the same.
The feelings
A feeling is an experience of emotion. Although the term "feeling" can be used to describe purely physical sensations, such as touch or pain, in the context of this article we are going to talk about feelings as a psychological phenomenon. like being madly in love or just feeling cool.
Feelings are important because they are largely responsible for our entire life experience. It is our feelings that determine whether we are happy or sad, happy or frustrated. There is no shortage of examples of people who seem to have it all, but who are unhappy, dissatisfied, and depressed. On the other hand, there are those who defy all odds and lead happy and fulfilling lives. despite obvious disadvantages, such as extreme poverty or physical disability.
It is our feelings that motivate us to do things:
- working to feel attractive
- studying to feel smart and / or accepted
- working very hard to make up for our real or imagined flaws to feel like a worthy romantic partner
Some people donate money not out of concern for the less fortunate but out of feeling better about themselves. Many of us buy products not because we really need them but because they make us feel better about ourselves, or so we hope. Feeling beautiful, elegant, rich, luxurious, cool are just a few examples.
Despite intellectually understanding that things are absolutely clean, people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) keep washing because things don't feel clean for some reason. Counseling and psychotherapy are primarily about understanding the client's feelings and then being able to work from there, usually figuring out how to change these feelings.
If we can figure out how to change negative feelings and replace them with positive ones, we can change our experience of life, and it doesn't have to involve any other radical changes. Change your feelings, change your life! Our feelings about the world are strongly influenced by our past experiences.
In this sense, our feelings are our perception of things or events. Middle-aged, young and old, we all had different experiences in life; we can come from different cultures; some of us have knowledge and experience that others do not; it is natural that we have different reactions to the same events. Each of us looks through the filter of our own perception and feels accordingly.
Feelings vs. Emotions
Feelings and emotions are different and knowing this difference is crucial to your success and self-improvement. While some believe that emotions precede feelings, others believe the opposite. Some say that feelings are physical and emotions are mental, others trust that it is the other way around. Forget this. There is no consensus on the difference between feelings and emotions, and if there is one, it's still okay to use the two terms interchangeably because that's what most people do anyway. According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, feeling is a conscious subjective experience of emotion.
The relationship between thoughts and feelings
Our thoughts have a profound impact on our feelings; our feelings affect the way we behave; and our behavior is responsible for our results. Our thoughts and feelings are important parts of our life experience.
For example, if you feel sad, both thoughts and feelings are part of the experience of being sad. The good news is that both thoughts and feelings can be challenged for accuracy, and if found to be wrong, they can be intentionally replaced by something more useful.
Feelings, hormones, and brain chemicals
Things would be simpler if it was just a matter of thinking correctly or if we could force ourselves to think the way we need to at all times. Sometimes we just can't. In fact, that happens very often. This is the reason why despite knowing all the secrets, you are still struggling instead of living the life of your dreams. Our health, our hormones, and our brain chemicals in particular have a huge impact on how we feel! Here are some of them:
- Testosterone
- estrogen
- progesterone
- norepinephrine
- epinephrine
- Serotonin
- dopamine
- oxytocin
Intestinal feeling
The concept of feelings and emotions is fascinating in itself, but one of the most interesting parts is the phenomenon of gut feeling. The intestinal sensation is unconscious, irrational and intuitive.
It can be both positive and negative - you may feel like you can trust someone without really knowing it, or you may feel in danger when, rationally speaking, there is no reason to be afraid. The weirdest part is that sometimes our hunch is really correct.
Many attempts have been made to explain intuition or instinct. Some suggest that it can be explained by our past experiences: the more similar experiences you have had in a particular area, the more reliable your intuition will be regarding that area. It's like all of a sudden all your knowledge and experience will manifest without any effort on your part.
You feel like you know things but you can't explain how you know. This, of course, makes perfect sense. Having said that, You can probably think of a time when your correct intuition cannot be explained by having previous experiences.