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| Try to manage your emotions in positive ways. |
Ways to Connect With Your Emotions
The Power of Emotional Intelligence
When you aren’t in communion with your emotions, they tend to build and pile up. Many people have consistent triggers in their life that can’t be avoided, like work deadlines, but prolonged exposure with no outlet could lead to physical and emotional pain and outbursts. Bursts of anger often stem from persistent stress and are even linked to the flight or fight response.
Getting in touch with your emotions is a form of emotional intelligence, or the ability to identify and regulate your feelings. With a high EQ, you can better label types of emotions and their roots in your present and past. Everyone experiences anger and bad moods, but with a high EQ, the cause will not be unidentified emotions. With this heightened awareness, you can even understand the feelings of others and better communicate with them.
Tips to Connect With Your Emotions
1. Refresh the Home
People all over the world are now familiar with working from home and the effect that home design can have on energy. Playing with textures, layout, and color is not about eliminating “bad” emotions but enhancing how we want to feel in each space.
Try out soft textures with pillows and rugs for living spaces to promote a feeling of comfort. Opt for clear, sharp lines in the office to emulate a focused mindset. Taking stock of how an environment makes you feel guides more mindful decoration in the future.
2. Meditate on Mood
Meditation is about watching thoughts float by and recognizing the power of your inner self. The more you can traverse moments of emotional intensity or neutrality, the more you can instill moments of calm in your day. When surrounded by only your thoughts, sensations, and feelings, you are directly in communication with yourself.
Start sitting comfortably and breathing deeply for an emotionally present meditation session. Invite your mind to wander and reflect. When you face emotions that are difficult to linger on, try and gently steer into that feeling. Imbuing these difficult moments with serenity allows you to better traverse similar moments in the future.
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| Enjoy time with your pets |
3. Play With Your Pets
Pets are often a source of unconditional love and support, so take a moment to devote the same time and attention. With phones buzzing and obligations waiting, many people miss out on this loving time. To dogs and cats, their owners are their whole world, and they deeply cherish playtime, long walks, or cuddles on the couch.
Even better, emotional support animals can reduce blood pressure and racing heart rates with their presence. These animals can become attuned to your way of expressing emotions and help you heal. When your furry friend curls up in your lap after a long day, they may try to cuddle and comfort you back to a happier state.
4. Craft a Moody Playlist
Making a music playlist is another excellent way to explore your mood. If you’re unsure how to process a feeling, scroll through your media library and add songs that seem to encapsulate the general vibe of your emotion. By the end, you’ll be able to appreciate your selection's striking lyrics or melodic tone.
You can also create playlists with a specific mood in mind. Making a happy music collection displays your unique expression of joy and love. Is the playlist a laid-back groove or a bright and bursting pop song? A laid-back groovy listener could explore calmer days with relaxation in mind, while a pop-song listener might want to spend energy on a run or time outside.
5. Journal It Out
Journaling is a tried and true method of getting in touch with your feelings, but how do you get past that first blank page?
Try these prompts to navigate and record key sensations:
- Create a character for your current mood. What do they look like? How do they act? What is their backstory?
- Describe a scene that is colored by your emotion. A crashing, thunderous waterfall differs from a babbling brook in a storybook village.
- List sensations you are feeling physically in the body.
- Set a timer for five minutes and write without a specific purpose. Venting allows your mind to flow through what it may find difficult to express.
6. Draw, Paint, and Color
Like writing, drawing, or painting in artistic mediums dives into moods with a creative flair. Grab some brushes, pencils, and paint and try these methods of emotional connection:
- Create an abstract, colorful painting of your mood. Color theory notes the feelings behind different colors and presents the ability to label them.
- Draw a landscape that represents the energy of your mood.
- Design an object that encapsulates your emotional energy.
7. Talk It Through
Auditory learners can talk through their emotions. Is there a family member or friend you trust to be a good listener? Always preface your conversation with permission so you know your friend has the emotional bandwidth to support you on your journey.
Therapists also assist in working through emotions and labeling triggers. Their training and experience can guide you to resiliency and an understanding of your mood.
Don’t forget the best listener who will always be there: Yourself!
Act as if you are speaking to someone else and ask thoughtful questions to provide support. Self-kindness and communication go a long way in connecting with your emotional landscape.
8. Make a Mood Blanket
For a craftier option, you can create a mood blanket that charts your daily feelings. Mood blankets are an offshoot of temperature blankets, which chart a year’s daily temperature with a unique color palette. Every temperature range correlates to a different yarn color, and the knitter or crocheter adds another line of stitches every day.
On a mood blanket, the crafter creates a mood palette with different colors of yarn to represent their feelings. For example, some cool blues could represent sadness, while dazzling oranges could be joy. At the end of every day, you get a chance to reflect on emotional moments and the overarching mood.
By the end of the year, you’ll get a clear picture of your emotional journey and a cozy blanket to boot!
Know the Meaning of Getting in Touch With Your Feelings
It can be challenging to get in touch with your emotions, mainly because they are so nebulous. You can’t put an emotional state in a cast or press a stethoscope against it. However, people do feel emotions all throughout their bodies. Uncovering when and how they arise guides you to regulation and an understanding of their presence. You will always be your best companion, so treat your emotional palette with respect and kindness this year.
Author: Beth Rush is the content manager and Managing Editor at Body+Mind. She is a well-respected writer in the personal wellness space and shares knowledge on various topics related to nutrition, fitness, holistic health, mental health, and disease prevention. In her spare time, Beth enjoys going for runs and trying out new fitness trends.