Feeling 'Feelings'

I’ve been reading a lot on the concept of feeling ‘feelings’

Why do we feel anything? Why do we go to the extent we do to feel certain feelings? It’s like a drug? But there are essential feelings that humans need, again, to “feel” like they are having a good life.

Should we control our feelings? Or should we let it control us?

Or are there ways in which we can regulate our feelings better? Things we could do everyday to maintain them to our advantage?

Man, this is such a broad topic with everybody having an opinion of their own (which is good because it allows us to go towards a good answer).

A lot of people say,

“Yes! Feelings are meant to be felt and acted on. If you deny them, they will burst during unpleasant situations or might cause “trauma” to the people who suppress it”.

Which I really think makes sense, and a lot of people would agree to it.

(I think control your emotions are a lot like bending)

But, I don’t think every feeling you feel is coming from a valid source. And to act on them just because you feel them will lead to a lot of bad decisions in the long run.

I’d say one of the better ways to deal with feelings is to actually take care of your body. I genuinely believe that the Mind-Body connection is such an important factor in how we feel in our day to day lives.

It is not okay in the slightest to ignore your body by eating whatever you want, not giving your body the movement it needs and sleeping whenever you “feel” like it.

Same goes for the mind, It is not okay to consume whatever content you find first on Instagram or YouTube, It’s not okay to always look for how the problems you’re facing are caused by outside circumstances alone without any introspection and accountability.

Do not be a victim of feelings. It’s coming from inside you. The keyword is YOU. If you can learn how to direct and tread through it gracefully, you will live a holistic life.

Acting on whatever you “feel” is such a stupid way to live in my opinion. Because feelings change, sometimes in seconds (as you all know).

I think, one of the disadvantages of knowing and learning about feelings, for me, is that whenever I feel a certain emotion, such as stress or anger, I instinctively know that ‘Alright, my cortisol (stress hormone) is increasing, I need to take a deep breath and focus my attention on solving the problem efficiently rather than emotionally’

Which sounds amazing that I can identify and manage it. But I feel like maybe that kind of thinking isn’t allowing me to feel the full spectrum of emotion at the same time.

What if it’s a happy feeling and I get too in my head and think it’s because of serotonin (the happy hormone) and lose feeling the feeling?

It’s something I’m still learning about and exploring. But a few things I’m sure about are:

1. Your feelings should never be the captain of you.

2. The Mind-Body connection is real. If you don’t take care of your body with proper food, sunlight, reducing unnecessary fat, building muscle stability with movement/exercise and proper sleep, you feeling depressed is on you.

3. Feelings come from inside you. YOU is the keyword. So take hold of them.

Hope this all makes sense. Have a good week.

Tata,

Kapil.