What are emotions?

Emotions are reactions that human beings experience in response to events or situations. Emotions (such as joy or sadness) are conscious mental reactions subjectively experienced as a strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioural changes in the body. 

The mental reaction we are experiencing might be to our advantage or disadvantage. It all depends on how we look at the emotion. Regardless of the emotion you are experiencing ( joy, excitement, worry, doubt, etc.), try to remember that the way you pass through it might be the key to experiencing a balanced life.

Knowing how to manage our emotions in our everyday lives can be a great way of discovering ourselves through the lenses of consciousness. 

1. Emotions help you discover things about yourself.

2. Emotions help you understand your life journey better.

3. Emotions help you grow.

4. Emotions help you move forward.

5. Understanding emotions and managing them well helps you live a good life.

Emotions can also put a hold on you if you let them. 

That is why it is always best to hold the thought that emotions come and go. If they are recognized, understood and accepted, the transition to another experience can be smoother. Every time you manage it properly, you'll become more resilient.

When you were born your parents welcomed you and tried their best to help you navigate through all your experiences while growing up. Even though your parents wished to help you manage your emotions, sometimes they felt overwhelmed and found themselves in a difficult situation. 

Living through your emotions helped you grow and understand better the world around you. You felt sadness, joy, hurt, excitement and all those different kinds of emotions. Although you feel similar emotions to those experienced when you were little, you experience them differently as an adult. Why is that? Because your brain matures and your prefrontal cortex is developed.

When the emotion is experienced fully, and we come out of it, we notice that it is a state that makes us act in a manner that we can't accept, especially when the emotion consumes us. When the emotions run their course, we say to ourselves: "Why did I act the way I did? Why couldn't I hold myself? I acted like a child rather than an adult." 

When this happens, we can say to ourselves: "It is okay to feel what I feel and accept all my emotions. They belong to me, and I must learn how to handle them well, but they do not define me. This way, I will move forward easier next time when they happen."

Once we "grow" and manage to contain our emotions, we still have to acknowledge them and recognize them as valid. The person responsible for "acting the way we do" is our inner child. When we experience a difficult situation, we must become aware that our inner child is present, and should be listened to.

We are sometimes very hard on ourselves, and we judge ourselves quite harshly, especially when emotions arise. We must learn to make the distinction between our emotions and us as a being. The emotion defines probably the experience itself but not us as a whole. 

Let's take an example, tennis players. If the player identifies with the emotion that crosses the body at that moment he/she can have difficulty while in the emotion, and can't focus on how to play the best game. If the player can manage his/her emotion, live through it, and say to himself/herself: "I can manage this fear of losing the game, or I can manage the anxiousness. I will give my best in the game and live it to its core." In that case, we might have a winner. If not, the player might be in a difficult situation. 

The same happens when we try to find a job and are worried about how the job interview might play out. If the interviewer sees anxiousness or doubt in the potential employee, he/she might say: "I don't think this person is fit for this job." The interviewer can conclude: "I see this person as being uncertain, or too anxious.", except that he/she evaluated the emotion and not the person. 

Our emotions help us reach heights and lows that we cannot reach otherwise. I think without them, we cannot evolve. We cannot feel what means to be human. Emotions are part of human history. This is the beauty of being human. Our life experiences teach us that even if we feel all these types of emotions, we can manage them and work along them. 

Of course, we cannot do it overnight. We must work on ourselves daily and tell ourselves: "It is okay. This emotion shall pass. The important part is how I can work through it and learn from it." 

One great way to manage your emotions is by writing about them. This method or lifestyle I should say, will allow you to see the situation in which you found yourself, clearly and understand it better. Once you understand it better, you will be more confident about yourself when similar experiences come into your life. 

Another great way to manage your emotions is to try to be aware of it when it happens and breathe. Once you breathe, you will be more focused on all the sensations in your body. This exercise will allow you, to be more aware of yourself, and you will recognize better what is happening to you. Once you become aware, your state might change quite rapidly. 

While you do your exercises managing your emotions and don't work well all of the time, tell yourself that you are doing your best, and remember: Your emotions from today might change tomorrow, and that is fine! The way you manage them is the road to equilibrium. All experiences come with emotions, all emotions are human. Remember that being human is wonderful!