There are many misconceptions about emotions, such as, “Feelings show weakness,” “Emotions are not useful–they hold me back,” or “I should feel happy all of the time.”
If you don’t understand what you’re feeling, it is difficult to communicate effectively with others, problem-solve, make objective decisions, or calm yourself.
Plus, you’ll likely deal with emotions in unhealthy ways:
- Repressing how you feel (leading to burnout and health problems)
- Avoiding feelings with distractions (social media, TV, alcohol, food, etc.)
- Over-expressing emotions in inappropriate ways (lashing out, blaming others, being passive-aggressive, etc.)
The first step to managing emotions is to label them. If you can label and understand the messages of your emotions, you’ll have choices as to what you do next.