Emotion

As you were growing up, how did you and your family handle emotions? Are some of your family members more likely to show emotion, while others hardly ever show it? Did you see and hear your parents and siblings express emotion freely and honestly? Were they okay when you were sad, angry or scared? Did they give you space to express yourself?

What about you, today? Can you notice when you are feeling something, put words to it, and express the emotion effectively and in the right way? 

Or, like so many others, is it hard to identify what you’re feeling, much less to express it in words and in such a way that another person can understand what you’re feeling?

When people are having issues, emotion is the most powerful and important thing to consider. In fact no one ever comes for help unless they are feeling some unwanted emotion. And the unwanted emotions always fall into three broad categories:  Sad, Mad, Scared.

Each of these categories is made up of a wide range of emotions. The Sad category ranges in intensity from mild disappointment to severe depression. The Mad category ranges from slight annoyance to uncontrolled rage. The Scared category ranges from a little bit of worry to full-blown panic. Let’s look at the range of intensity within each category.

Sad – slightly disappointed – disappointed – discouraged – downhearted – listless – unmotivated – defeated – sad – depressed – severely depressed – suicidal

Mad – slightly annoyed – annoyed – – bothered – irritated – upset – angry – extremely angry – furious – enraged.

Scared – slightly concerned – worried – anxious – unfocused – agitated – fearful – easily triggered – panicked

Surely many additional words exist to describe the unwanted emotions that drive people to seek help. Anyone who is struggling with the stresses of living, strained relationships, failures, feeling stuck, trapped or just plain dissatisfied with life, would be wise to learn how  to put words to their experience. Fortunately, there is help for this. 

If you are having a tough time and are not sure what to do about it, it might be time to take action. One of the first tings to consider is whether you’re being honest with yourself about what you are feeling. There are so many resources: books, podcasts, videos, spiritual aids, blogs. And you might be the kind of person who prefers to resolve your problem with the help of a professional. If that is the case, and if you’re ready to get started, please feel free to reach out. 

Let’s be honest. These problems don’t resolve themselves. If you are motivated, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish with the right kind of help. Call 219-309-3928 for a no-cost brief consolation. Let’s figure out if we would be a good fit. I will be honored to be of service.

For more thoughts click Emotional Intelligence

Thanks for reading!