By Min Zan

 

EMOTIONS shape our lives in ways we often overlook. From the joy of a kind word to the distress of a tragic event, our emotional responses are integral to our human experience. Emo­tions, whether positive or nega­tive, influence our relationships, our decisions, and our overall well-being. In this article, we will explore the nature of emo­tions, their classifications, and strategies to achieve emotional well-being, ultimately leading to a happier, healthier life.

 

The Nature of Emotions

Emotion means a strong hu­man feeling such as love, hatred, anger, or fear. Emotions are part of human nature that consists of a range of feelings, which have a considerable impact on our lives. For example, people—family members, neighbours, friends, and other acquaintances—are mystically connected by a feeling of friendship, kindness, or love.

 

Classifications of Emotions

Emotions can be classified into two main types: positive and negative. Examples of positive emotions include delight, joy, sympathy, empathy, rapture, trust, and love, whereas negative emotions are feelings like an­ger, fear, anxiety, jealousy, grief, greed, and hatred. It is only nat­ural that our lives are touched by both positive and negative feelings.

 

Basic Emotions in Daily Life

To have a proper under­standing of our emotions, let us now look at a few basic emotions that we experience in daily life.

 

Joy: A feeling of great hap­piness that can be induced by the simplest things, like a kind word, a beautiful mountain view, or an interesting shop window. This can be said to be the most positive emotion and a great mo­tivator. Thus, we actively would like to repeat the activities that bring us joy.

 

Sympathy: A feeling of be­ing sorry for someone who is in a bad situation. For example, we feel sympathy for flood victims or crash victims - we understand and care about their problems.

 

Empathy: Usually de­scribed as ‘the feeling that we understand and share someone else’s emotions or experienc­es as if they were our own. For example, we feel empathy for people who have lost their par­ents, sons, or daughters. Show­ing empathy for others is a way of managing our emotions and training our minds to prepare themselves for challenges.

 

Loving-kindness: A strong feeling of caring about some­one. Treating someone with lov­ing-kindness means we say, do or think of something for their welfare. In other words, we try to make them happy instead of causing harm or suffering.

 

Surprise: A feeling that is caused by something unex­pected. When something sur­prising happens to us, we raise our eyebrows to open our eyes wider, to allow us to see what is happening.

 

Anxiety: A normal human emotion that is found as a reac­tion to stress. Normal anxiety is what we feel when we are ex­posed to external stresses such as losing a job, having difficulties in marriage, or our children get­ting ill. This type of anxiety is called ‘worry’ and remains with us until the problem is sorted out in some way. When anxiety occurs in response to a more immediate threat, like being at­tacked by a huge snarling dog or looking over a cliff edge, this is called ‘fear’.

 

Anger: A strong feeling that makes us want to hurt or criti­cize someone because of some­thing bad or unfair that has hap­pened. We have expressed this type of emotion to try and deal with a problem rather than run away from it.

 

Distress: A feeling of sad­ness prompted by the loss of something or tragic events. This often results in tears, a lump in the throat, and a feeling of heav­iness in the chest. If you see a miserable person, you may also feel miserable.

 

Disgust: A strong feeling of dislike, annoyance, or disapprov­al. Naturally, we feel disgusted at certain objects or smells, like the smell of rotten food. We move away from such things because they may carry diseases. Thus, this type of emotion helps to pro­tect us from harm or illness.

 

Emotional Well-Being

According to psychologists, emotional well-being is defined as ‘the ability to recognize our emotions, manage them, and produce positive feelings or thoughts’. In other words, peo­ple with emotional wellness are aware of their own emotions and can deal with difficult problems by using some effective strat­egies.

 

The Balance of Emotions

In daily life, we are more likely to experience negative emotions than positive ones. When we get exposed to stress­ful situations, it is easier for us to get disappointed, worried, or distressed, especially if we are emotionally unhealthy. Also, we blame others or criticize them when something bad or unkind happens to us. If our distress lasts much longer, our emotion­al well-being is badly affected. When our wants or needs are not fulfilled, we feel depressed, distressed, or frustrated. As a result, we can neither eat nor sleep well, and we cannot con­centrate fully on anything. If neg­ative emotions become chronic or overwhelming, we will be faced with problems, like losing our loved ones.

 

Emotional well-being typ­ically brings pleasant feelings such as excitement, happiness, and love. This does not mean that it is free from sadness and anxiety. Emotionally healthy people also experience negative feelings such as anxiety, rage, doubt, or sadness. However, they can cope with life’s chal­lenges, and they can even man­age to bounce back after having been defeated. Thus, emotional well-being has a big role to play in seeking happiness and life satisfaction.

 

Contemplating Daily Life and Encounters

In our daily lives, we en­counter a myriad of situations that evoke different emotional responses. From the morning rush to get to work to the quiet moments of solitude before bed, our emotions are in a constant state of flux. The joy of reuniting with a loved one after a long day or the frustration of a traffic jam can both have profound effects on our overall well-being. Rec­ognizing these emotions and understanding their sources can help us navigate our daily encounters with greater resil­ience and awareness.

 

Consider the simple act of commuting. Whether we drive, bike, or take public transport, our commute can be a source of stress or an opportunity for reflection. An unexpected delay might trigger feelings of anxiety or irritation, while a scenic route could evoke a sense of peace and wonder. By paying atten­tion to these emotions, we can transform mundane routines into moments of mindfulness, allowing us to appreciate the present and manage our reac­tions more effectively.

 

Interactions with others also play a significant role in our emotional landscape. A kind ges­ture from a stranger or a heated argument with a colleague can leave lasting impressions on our mood and mental state. Building emotional intelligence through empathy and understanding can improve our relationships and promote a sense of community and support. By fostering posi­tive connections and addressing conflicts constructively, we can create a more emotionally bal­anced and fulfilling life.

 

Practical Ways to Achieve Emotional Well-Being

The well-known psycholo­gist Dr Hal Baumchen has sug­gested a list of practical ways to achieve emotional well-being and stay resilient to emotionally stressful situations:

 

1. Stay honest: Be honest with others. Emotional stability is based on honesty and integ­rity.

 

2. Stay positive: Keep a healthy, positive attitude to life. Smile, laugh, and enjoy your life.

 

3. Stay peaceful: Try to be a peacemaker. Develop fair­ness and conflict resolution skills. Overlook offences and stay serene and calm.

 

4. Stay connected: Stay close to those who provide support for your emotional recovery and keep yourself away from those who do not.

 

5. Stay grateful: Stay mod­est and humble. Gratitude opens the door to more friendships.

 

6. Stay determined: Find the key reason for your emotion­al recovery and stick to it.

 

7. Stay intentional: Try to have a specific aim in view. Stay deliberate, determined, and purposeful.

 

8. Stay strong: Try to have the strength and courage to face difficult situations to come.

 

9. Stay balanced: Keep the right balance of both pleas­ant and unpleasant feelings. Find ways to improve your work-life balance.

 

10. Stay hopeful: Stay confident that your future is filled with the promise of good things to come. Hope gives birth to a brighter and sweeter future.

 

In sum, to enjoy a better quality of life, we need to pos­sess a good sense of emotional well-being. The ten practical ways suggested above will great­ly contribute to our emotional well-being — they will release our negative emotions, produce positive emotions, and help us lead a happy, healthy, and peace­ful life. By recognizing and man­aging our emotions effectively, we can foster a resilient spirit that endures through life’s chal­lenges, ultimately achieving true emotional well-being.