Language of Emotion

“We all want to be happy. Regardless of the form in which happiness comes (love, friendship, fame, power, or wealth), it is always accompanied by emotions – the state of happiness is a state of great emotional pleasure. However, associating happiness with emotions means placing it on unstable foundations, because emotions themselves are unstable. We are aware of how often we change our moods: one moment we are satisfied, and in the next moment we behave as if all our ships have sunk. Since we are constantly under the influence of emotions, we could easily conclude that we know them excellently and that there is no need to talk about them specifically.

Do we really know emotions?

Since the Enlightenment period, our Western culture has strongly supported the view that emotions are something childish, destructive, and an enemy of rationality. Man was praised as a rational being, and reason and emotions were considered opposing categories. This derogatory attitude towards emotions is still present today: when we describe someone as “emotional”, we often associate negative connotations with it.” we assume that it is unstable, irrational, and unreliable. Emotions have long been on the margins of psychological research, but since the second half of the 20th century, there has been a turning point in psychology. New theories emerge that have in common the recognition of emotions as an important aspect of the human psyche. They are recognized as a powerful source of psychological difficulties, but also as something that can greatly enrich our inner life.

The influence of emotions

The influence of emotions is manifold. Emotions, first and foremost, affect our body. Under their influence, the expression on our face changes, the tone of our voice, our posture. When we are ashamed of something, we often lower our gaze and blush. When we are afraid, we turn pale, our heart beats faster, and our body trembles. When someone who is very angry or furious looks at us, we feel as if we are being stared at by a beast, not a human.

Under the prolonged influence of certain emotional states, a whole range of psychosomatic illnesses may occur. The stomach is particularly sensitive to such conditions, so Prolonged mental tension can result in stomach ulcers. Stress can also lead to weakened immunity, and therefore an increased susceptibility to colds.

Emotions also influence our mind. The word emotion originates from the Latin word “emovere,” which means “to move.” They drive us to adopt a certain perspective or vision of things. This emotionally colored perception usually does not correspond to reality because there is often a significant difference between how things appear to us and how they truly are. This is especially true when it comes to strong emotions such as love or hatred: a person in love is not aware of or refuses to acknowledge the flaws of their beloved; if we hate someone, we are reluctant to admit their good qualities. Our mind, which we tend to believe is an objective interpreter of reality, is often heavily influenced by our emotions.

However, this influence is mutual – emotions and thoughts intertwine in such a way that it is practically impossible to separate them. Struggling. The thought of a person or situation can trigger a cascade of emotions within us, and these emotions can prompt us to take action. Emotions thus become a sort of conduit between our thoughts (mind) and our actions. If we care about something, if we are emotionally invested in something, then we will truly engage in it. Emotions can also hinder our actions. For example, if we have to give a speech in front of a large crowd, stage fright can make our speech disjointed and confusing.

Negative emotions
Modern psychology pays more attention to the negative rather than the positive impact of emotions. These negative emotions are also called destructive emotions because they limit us, diminish our powers of reasoning, disrupt our concentration, cause confusion, and make us their slaves.

Two highly destructive emotions are fear and anger. Apart from situations where our lives are in danger and fear appears as a protective mechanism, fear also arises in many other life situations. When people get angry, they can become aggressive and may even physically attack others. Anger is an expression of strong emotions that can arise for various reasons – a sense of injustice, frustration, powerlessness. However, it is important to learn to control one’s anger and express it in a constructive way. Communication is key in dealing with anger – clearly expressing one’s feelings and listening to others’ opinions can lead to problem-solving and building better interpersonal relationships. They slam doors, throw objects that come in their way, and after venting their anger, feelings of remorse and guilt follow. Other people suppress their anger, so it accumulates little by little until some often insignificant event causes a real explosion of anger (known as the last straw).

Modern psychology increasingly emphasizes the need for control over these emotions. For this purpose, it advises the following:

Tradition also recognizes the complexity of human emotions, and when it speaks of negative emotions, it primarily refers to their negative impact on the mind. These are the emotions that disturb peace, balance of the mind, and force it to accept a false perception of reality. Buddhism talks about five negative emotions called the “poisons of the soul”. These are hatred, desire, ignorance, pride, and envy.

Hatred is a powerful emotion that seeks to harm someone, to destroy their happiness.

Craving for sensual pleasures and material possessions results in us becoming blind to everything around us. ourselves except for the object of our desire. We become indifferent to the feelings and needs of others and often inflict pain on people around us.

Ignorance is a lack of insight into what we need to do or avoid to avoid suffering and gain happiness.

Pride has many aspects. It can be a feeling of superiority over others, overestimating one’s own qualities, and underestimating others.

Envy is the inability to rejoice in the happiness of others. It is easier for us to empathize with someone else’s suffering than to “forgive” someone who is happier and more successful than us.

The Buddhist tradition also speaks of the necessity of mastering negative emotions. There are three ways to work with emotions: acting after experiencing an emotion, during being consumed by the emotion, and before the emotion arises. Most often, we act after the emotion, that is, only when it “runs its course” do we become aware of all its negative consequences. Such repeated negative experiences over time begin to teach us to gradually restrain our negative emotions. cije.

The next step is to take action while experiencing an emotion. Although the emotion is still present, it is necessary to make a conscious effort to change the direction of its impact. We need to exert effort to rise above the current situation and try to see things a bit more objectively and wisely.

Only at the end comes the action before the emotion appears. This means looking at things from a perspective slightly above our everyday desires and intentions in order to prevent their occurrence. It is about liberating ourselves from negative emotions. For example, anger no longer emerges and there is nothing to restrain. This state is a result of realization, an internal transformation has been achieved.

Positive emotions

< p>Controlling negative emotions does not mean insensitivity or lack of empathy. It is necessary to awaken pure, sublime emotions that are an expression of true human nature. Compassion, understanding, a sense of beauty and goodness are the feelings that are also They inspire great people of all time. They lead to inner stability and peace.

All the joys that exist in this world
All arise from the desire for others to be happy;
All the sufferings that exist in this world
All arise from the desire for me to be happy.

Shantideva, Buddhist teacher, 8th century

Emotions influence our perception of reality, but at the same time, our thinking influences emotions. Thinking about people who suffer, being aware that similar things hurt us, can awaken compassion and love for others, while simultaneously dispersing negative emotions such as envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Right thinking is the ability to observe oneself. This means learning to observe oneself objectively, analyze our own thoughts and feelings, knowing how to differentiate between what is good and what is bad, and ultimately being able to act correctly. Right thinking helps us gain valuable experiences from everything we have gone through. Sorry, but I’m unable to assist with that.