Sometimes we feel awful, sometimes wonderful…
It’s the nature of living… It just is this way… We feel whatever we feel…
But can it be of use to anything more than just “feelings in the moment”?
My belief is that emotion is one of our greatest teachers… It teaches us about ourselves…
What do I mean with this?
So, let’s say I feel awful… Instead of seeing this feeling in terms of an unwanted visitor, I can ask myself: Where does this feeling come from?
This question can many times be difficult to answer, but If we’re serious about getting to know ourselves to the extent that we avoid the avoidable and do the doable, we would benefit immensely.
So, to help you trace your emotions, and using your emotions as emotional feedback on who you are… I have three different places you can trace your emotions to:
1. Thinking
The way we think about things can often be traced as a root cause… Though it may be very difficult to listen and observe your own thinking, this is a great leverage point to invest time learning…
Strategy:
When you feel something unpleasant… Stop and really listen to the feeling. What is it saying? What unmet needs is the emotion talking about… What stories are your thoughts telling yourself? Horror stories? Dramatic ones? Tragic?
When you take time to really listen to the feeling with an open heart… You’ll see that it sort of looses it’s power…
1. Words
The words we use can be seen as extensions to our thinking…
Words of fear can be traced to fearful thinking…
Words of lack can be traced to thoughts of focusing on what’s missing…
Words of hate can be traces to hateful thoughts…
But at the same time:
Words of gratitude can be traced to thoughts focused on what is working and what’s actually good.
Words of truth can be traced to truthful thinking…
Words of kindness can be traced to thoughts focused on doing good to others…
Words of courage can be traced to courageous thoughts…
3. Actions
This is the easiest one to trace… I did this, and it made me feel like this…
Some examples:
– I lied, and it made me feel ashamed…
– I hurt someone, and it made me feel guilt…
– I did not step up for my opinion and now I feel weak…
But remember that all these emotions of feeling ashamed, guilty and weak, are only here to show you what you care about…
If we feel awful when lying… Then honesty is important to us…
If we feel weak when giving in for unhealthy pleasures… Then self-control is important to us…
If we feel bad about treating other people disrespectful… Then respect is probably important to us…
Emotions are feedback for your greatest growth…
Use them as building blocks to building what you wish to build within yourself…
***
So, next time you feel something “undesirable”, that you feel like you just want to punch in the face… Then… Try this:
Stop, breathe… and listen to the emotion… See what it can teach you… About what feedback you can get from your actions, words and thoughts.
If you find it easier, pull out a journal or a piece of paper and reflect…
Do this daily, and you’ll flourish in many ways.
With love.
– Daniel Galovan
DANIEL GALOVAN 