One Apple A Day #140
Do you know what you are feeling? And what you are thinking? Can you discern emotions from thoughts?
I’ve always been fascinated by this matter. Anytime we want to express one emotion or feeling through words we have to wrap it inside a thought. So, I can we be sure that those words contain only our emotion and not our thoughts?
As human we need to explain everything, to put things in boxes so we can name them. Sometimes I feel that if I can’t name something I can’t truly grasp its meaning. I can’t own it.
Is it the same for emotions and feelings? Do you know how to call that thing that you feel in your belly when you are in love with someone? Or what is the name for the itching in your hands when you are upset? Or the void in your stomach when your world is crumbling down?
It looks like emotions and words are managed in different parts of the brains. So, I’m not sure it is possible to clean up emotions from the thinking in which we wrap them when we use words to express them.
Tricky, isn’t it? I believe the key is to let it go. In the end, this is mostly an academic discussion. Obviously, it is a critical debate. Thanks to the work of scientists from different disciplines, we are improving our understanding of how our brain operates.
It is important to learn to perceive emotions and feelings even if we can’t name them. Through meditation, mindfulness or any other technique available, it is important to get to listen to the innermost part of our brain and connect with our emotions. The only way to do this is through practice.
It is also important to share our emotions and feelings, even if we have to wrap them around some thinking. To do so, we must expand our vocabulary with new words that can help us express those emotions and feelings. How? Read poems, listen to songs.
A few sources for new words: