Emotions - how do you express them?

Are you in touch with your emotions or do you struggle to explain what emotion you are feeling?

Many people use the words feelings and emotions interchangeably to mean the same thing but they are in fact different.

Feelings are felt consciously, we apply conscious thought to be able to express how we are feeling. Both physical and emotional triggers can incite a feeling. For example, I feel sad when I miss someone I love and I feel hungry when I haven't eaten.

Emotions on the other hand can be experienced consciously but also unconsciously. Emotions are our response to any given situation and they originate as bodily sensations.

Emotions start as a physiological sensation from the reptilian complex - the early part of the brain. This sensation passes through the two other parts of the brain to be labelled as a feeling.

If an emotion has been suppressed due to a traumatic event, then you will experience the physiological response but not be able to interpret why you are feeling that way.

This is how therapy can help. Speaking with a trained therapist can help you to unlock suppressed emotions and help you to understand your feelings.