Emotions

-each emotion you’ve ever felt exists to serve a purpose

-emotion regulation is used to increase positive feelings over time, and as you practice these skills, you will feel more resilient when you experience a negative emotion

-the purpose of emotions is to communicate what we’re experiencing to those around us, both verbal and nonverbal communication of emotions can help us connect with others and build stronger relationships

-another purpose of emotions is to influence others, an intense emotion is able to influence the feelings, thoughts, and opinions of others

-many emotions are self-productive, they encourage us to react or respond in difficult situations, responsible for our fight, flight, or freeze reactions

-each human emotion is equally valuable, each one has a purpose and something to communicate

-but…emotions aren’t always right

Examples of emotions and their functions

-main types of emotions-

-joy

-trust

-fear

-surprise

-sadness

-disgust

-anger

-anticipation

Love-lets us know that something is going right, arises from a feeling of profound oneness, it can be platonic, romantic, religious, or familial

Joy/Happiness-signal that something is going right, sense of well-being, inner peace, love, safety, and contentment

Guilt-could be a sign that we’ve done wrong and we can work to correct it

Anger-lets us know that we’ve been wronged

Fear-a response to impending danger, a survival mechanism

Shame-gives us information about our faulty core beliefs

Anxiety-there are two types, productive and non-productive

Sadness/Grief-having support from those we love makes it easier to get through the grieving process

Fear>nervousness>anxiety, apprehension, distress, dread, tenseness, uneasiness, worry

Fear>horror>alarm, fright, hysteria, mortification, panic, shock, terror

Joy>cheerfulness>amusement, ecstasy, gaiety, euphoria, bliss, elation, delight, happiness, jubilation

Joy>zest>enthusiasm, excitement, exhilaration, thrill