We as humans are capable of so many different types of emotions, many of them quite complicated and complex. To make it even more complicated we don’t always feel just one emotion at a time. We can feel multiple emotions at once. We can even feel two opposite emotions at the same time. How confusing! We have basic primary emotions and more complex emotions.
Basic emotions are mostly reactionary short-lived emotions. Most identify them as joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, guilt/shame, and disgust.
You might be thinking, wait a minute, that’s not right, I’ve been feeling angry or sad for quite a long time now. Well, a lot of time we keep our emotions going by feeding them with thoughts around the situation that triggered them. For example, have you ever been angry at someone but you forget why, then you remember and your anger returns as you remember the situation? We can also mix basic emotions or add in thoughts to make more complex emotions which can tend to last longer. For example mix sadness with a thought like “things will never get better” and you may get the emotion hopelessness. Another example, mix sadness, anger, and thought like “they always let me down”, you might get disappointed.
Emotions can help us attach value to the things that are important in our lives. This can become apparent when you are feeling those opposite emotions at the same time. As sad as it can be to send your kid off to college, the pride, accomplishment, and joy override it. Stay tuned to the TCG blog to learn more about those crazy things we call emotions!
