There is a distinct difference between emotions and feelings and knowing the difference is valuable in the exploration of your emotional-self.
Emotions are the sensations you experience in your body when stimulated by something in your environment. These sensation(s) in your body hold valuable messages in your experience and learning the intuitive meaning behind the various sensations you are experiencing is an important step in deeply knowing yourself and shifting the way you perceive and navigate the world.
Feelings are the cognitive meaning you make of the sensation(s) you are experiencing and sometimes before deeply knowing your emotional-self - you may not be able to identify or understand the emotion you're experiencing - however, what you do know is you do/don't enjoy the sensation and so you feel "good/bad" or something about the situation must (not) be "okay". Also, your feelings can sometimes become distorted and the meaning you make of your emotions is not aligned with the reality of the experience. It's valuable to focus on letting go of the distorted cognitive meaning(s) and feeling(s) you are associating with the sensation you're experiencing and take time to hold space for and take notice of the emotions/sensations themselves that are showing up. Allowing space for meaning to authentically unfold.
Follow this 7 day journalling exercise below and deeply explore your emotional-self and the sensations you're experiencing. TIP Utilize the emotion(s) wheel and sensations chart below for your exploration.
> What is my current relationship with my emotional-self?
> When I experience sensation(s) in my body do I know the intuitive meaning of the emotion?
> Do I notice any cognitive distortions in the feelings I have about my emotions?
> When I am ignited and experiencing sensation(s) in my body am I conscious in the moment and understanding what's going on for me in real-time?
> Can I distinguish the difference between my emotions and my feelings in real-time?
> Journal about your day and your experience with holding space for your emotional-self and take notice of the sensations you're experiencing, while letting go of the cognitive meaning you are making of your experience. What do you notice? How do the sensation(s) show up in your body? (tingly, tight, heavy?)
> Do I need to expand my emotional language / sensation vocabulary to better understand my experience?
(reference the emotions wheel and sensation table below)
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