Decoding the 5 Natural Emotions
I love talking and writing about emotions. I feel they are a big topic and one that we don’t fully understand.
The first thing to know about emotions is that they are there for a reason.
They are your soul talking to you, giving you feedback according to your environment.
The second thing to know is that emotions are not to be labeled or judged as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
They are simply feedback, and that feedback is always a positive thing because without it, you wouldn't be able to choose what’s right for you. You wouldn’t be able to choose your preference and therefore know what to do about it.
Let’s dive into what the 5 natural emotions are:
ANGER- allows you to decide what your version of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ is. When you repress anger, it becomes rage and rage is unhealthy and destructive.
GRIEF- allows you to express loss and sadness. It is a natural emotion but when chronically repressed becomes depression. Depression is an unnatural emotion.
LOVE- expressed without condition or limitation is natural and healthy. When love is repressed, controlled, manipulated, withheld, it warps into possessiveness. Possessiveness is unhealthy and unnatural.
ENVY- allows you to see what differences you can possibly make and to decide what you choose in life. To keep trying and keep striving for success. When used in this way, it’s healthy and constructive. When repressed, it turns into jealousy and jealousy is an unnatural emotion.
FEAR- is healthy when used as caution. Caution used correctly can be an act of self-love. Fear when continuously repressed is unhealthy and can turn into panic, an unnatural emotion.
These emotions are all natural and healthy. When we allow ourselves to express these emotions in a healthy way, we empower ourselves. When these emotions are repressed or suppressed, they morph into unhealthy and destructive emotions that can take over our lives and lead us off our true path. Therefore, allow these healthy emotions to come up, they’re your compass in life, directing you towards your life’s plan of becoming and experiencing Who You Really Are!
Putting it all together.
Let’s get into some action steps you can take to start making sure you’re listening and allowing these emotions to come up.
Spend more time with just yourself-
What I’m talking about here is meditation, but not just the kind where you sit in silence with your legs crossed humming “om”. Although if that floats your boat, go for it!
Meditation can come in thousands of different forms as we are all unique.
Some forms of meditation can be:
Gardening
Cleaning
Cooking
Dancing
Walking
Spending time in nature
Yoga
Qigong
Listening to birdsong
Looking at the stars
Tea ceremony
Self-pleasuring
And so many more.
By doing these practices daily, you will start to cultivate more, understanding yourself better and hearing the wisdom coming to you through your emotions.
2. Notice how you abandon yourself-
Do you hate feeling angry? When anger comes up, what do you do? Do you stay with that emotion or do you run? If you run, what are some of your coping strategies?
I know mine are:
Watching a movie or tv show
Scrolling on my phone
Other unhealthy strategies are:
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Unconscious sex
Partying
Drugs
Write down or simply notice what yours are. And that leads to the next step..
3. Create healthy coping strategies-
Come up with some HEALTHY COPING STRATEGIES you can use the next time you notice yourself running away.
These could include some of the above practices of being with yourself.
I suggest writing them down and keeping them close by. I like to use my fridge as my little reminders :)
4. Deciphering your emotions-
Once you know how you abandon yourself and some healthy strategies on coping, start to allow yourself to feel the emotion.
I like to then ask myself what this emotion is about, what is it trying to tell me?
If it’s anger, what am I angry about?
Keep asking questions, keep probing, keep discovering and once you get to your answer, you will have figured out what the emotion was telling you and most of the time, you will have discovered what to do about it!
It’s like magic! It sounds so simple, and it is, but do we actually do this?