Dealing with Emotions in the Most Concise Way

 

Burn Out/Pexels

Assume you're driving down a lonely highway in a car. A alert light flashes suddenly in the middle of nowhere. You have a very low oil pressure. You run the risk of causing severe engine damage if you simply disregard it and continue driving. You're aware that you can get a tow, but this will take some time. You immediately recall a trick for short-circuiting the warning light as you ponder your next move. The engine would still be starving for gasoline, but the low-pressure light on your dashboard would no longer blink, making it easier to ignore.

So, can you go ahead and do it?

You won't hesitate to say "no" to the urge until you're severely drunk (at which stage you shouldn't be driving at all). That is right. You won't go there by turning off the tube. The light is only a messenger, not a concern in and of itself. You'd be best off taking in the facts and dealing with the situation instead. When it comes to external issues like auto repairs, this is easy and straightforward to consider. Internal issues, on the other hand, are even more perplexing. When we are faced with tough feelings such as fear, depression, fatigue, sorrow, frustration, or isolation, we instinctively look for the off-button on our emotional console rather than listening to the signals they hold.

Put an end to it! Please pass the wine and cigars to me. Allow me to reschedule this meeting. Please interact with me on social media. Please show me the films and video games. Whatever you do, just make it disappear!

When we are confronted by difficult feelings, we always want to block out the warning.

Emotions, on the other hand, are not the problem. They are nothing more than messengers. And the messages they convey need to be understood at the very least. They always provide valuable lessons which can prompt us to take beneficial measures. They always present us with opportunities.

What Do Emotions Indicate?

Fear will alert us to impending threat, allowing us to properly plan. Loneliness can cause us to place a higher value on close relationships. Grief will help us focus on what's critical and significant to us while also urging us to seek social interaction and comfort.

It's not enough to conceal your dashboard. It needs tender care. You do have to see and follow the lane, so the dashboard isn't anything. You should ask yourself, "What am I feeling right now?" and "Where can I feel it?" as feelings emerge. and “What does my emotion want me to do?” and “What does this imply I am craving?” No one hands over control of their car to a dashboard, but questions like these allow our emotions to play their rightful part.

Stress full / Pexels

This “turn off the indicator” step would be bad enough if we were just dealing with negative feelings, but we are equally inept when dealing with positive emotions. Consider seeing a full petrol tank on your car's dashboard. Wow, what happiness! You want it to stay that way, so you rewire the gauge to keep it complete all the time.

Good feelings are therefore avoided! When we experience joy, we always think of how we will feel when it passes, so we tend to avoid feeling joy at all. That's like the person who disconnects the fuel gauge completely so she won't be surprised when the fuel runs out because she didn't know it was full in the first place.

Much of this is counterproductive, but it's precisely what many of us do while we're pleased, unhappy, nervous, optimistic, frustrated, or fulfilled. We like feeling this way and don't want it to end, so we try to hold on to it as long as possible. Or we detune it so it won't be heard until it ends, as if being numb is pleasure. We don't like feeling this way, so we want to ignore it, as if emotions are the enemy. It's not just about likes and dislikes when it comes to emotions. They are the effects of our history and present on us. They aid in the development of our capacity to notice what is present based on previous experiences. They're like gauges on a dashboard that help us adapt to the problems that life throws at us.

Emotions only last for a short period of time. They aren't intended to be ignored or clung to. They're supposed to come and go at their own pace, passing by you. When things go wrong, they teach valuable lessons, and when things go right, they have lovely prizes. Allowing feelings to be present as they arise, to listen carefully to their message, and to experience them completely without clinging or unnecessary defense helps them to fulfill their intended function.

Your feelings aren't the issue; feel everything, accept progress, step on, and learn to drive.