I don’t often talk about emotions. I actually caught myself twice in the last year mentioning that emotions are not my strong suit. I’ve heard my friends saying that I am rather objective and I received quite a few times the advice to listen to my emotions. I still don’t know what it meant.
Because I am quite an emotional person. I feel happiness and sadness, shame and pride, humility and anger, frustration and in acceptance. I do take my emotions into consideration when I make decisions, much more unconsciously than I wish I did though. But I am aware of it.
And now, with the social implications of the efforts undertaken to limit the spread of Covid-19, I believe it’s even more stringent than ever to recognise our emotions and to acknowledge them. It’s fine to be happy that we don’t have to go out or that we can work from home. It’s fine to be frustrated or even angry by uncertainty. It’s ok to miss friends and people you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s ok to feel powerless in your attempts to change the world.
In certain life situations, the only power we have is how we react to what is happening. In this context, we have the power over how we react to how we feel. Of course, whenever I feel positive emotions, I give myself permission to maintain the feeling. If I am sad, I try to understand where it comes from and then I focus on the present moment. Where am I, what am I feeling, what am I doing, what I am grateful for. And this gets me in a more positive state of mind within seconds.
There are these days, however, when I need an achievement to make me feel good. And that’s usually reading something interesting, taking a bath, doing sports or calling a friend.
There’s an upside to everything. The current situation is definitely not desirable. I can’t help however but noticing that it gave me time to reflect, to know myself better, to work on my projects, to be grounded and, maybe the most important of it all, to know a little bit better what is truly important to me. I do catch myself thinking I miss my life and that I want it all be “normal” again. But I am experienced enough to know that this is my life and that there is no “normal”. This time counts.
In order to get better at emotions, I am reading the new book written by Septimiu Chelcea, Emoțiile sociale. Despre rușine, vinovăție, regret și dezamăgire {Social emotions. About shame, guilt, regret and disappointment]. I’ve felt them all, so I am really looking forward to read about how these emotions play out in society. I got the book from Tritonic Books.
Make today count.