You might be wondering how a painful emotion can ever lead to happiness. I know it doesn’t sound reasonable.
How can getting upset and yelling at the ones you love lead to happiness? How can feeling hurt, jealous, sad, frustrated, shamed or guilty lead to happiness?
We have not been taught the true purpose of our emotions. When you understand what your emotions are telling you, you can find a path to happiness.
What is the purpose of true emotions?
You have two kind of emotions: true emotions from the present moment and unresolved emotions from the past.
Your true emotions give you valuable information about the relationships in your life. These emotions tell you if your relationships with others are healthy and life affirming. Painful emotions let you know you are not being treated with the love and respect you deserve.
Your true emotions tell you how you feel about yourself. Do you love yourself and treat yourself with kindness? Or do you feel not good enough, unworthy, and unlovable?
Only true emotions can give you accurate information about your current relationships.
What is the purpose of emotions from the past?
Emotions from the past are not here to haunt you, remind you of past traumas, and make you feel bad.
They are here to remind you that you need to let go of the past so you can move on with your life. Unfortunately this can be a not-so-gentle reminder and can overwhelm you.
Whether your emotions are from the past or from the present moment, they have valuable information for you. You just need to unlock their secret language.
How can I tell if an emotion is current or from the past?
Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this question. Emotions from the past feel exactly like emotions from the present moment.
Some people can remember when they learned to be afraid or to feel ashamed. For most of us, we don’t know if an emotion is current or from the past.
One way to find out is to use the poetry of emotion process. When you have released the emotions from the past, you will be left with emotions from the present moment. These emotions have valuable information for you and you can trust them.
How to listen to your emotions?
First, release any unresolved emotions from the past. These emotions do not give you accurate information about the present moment. Releasing these emotions has benefits such as less stress and the ability to be in the present moment.
Second, pay attention to your emotions. Trust what your emotions are telling you. Do you need to be kinder to yourself? Do you need to say no more often? Are you worthy of having a relationship that is loving and supportive?
You can trust your true emotions.
(Image: Marina del Castell @ Flickr)
