Breathe
By Sofía Díaz Pizarro
When the first "Intensely" movie came out, my daughter was still a toddler, a toddler. I could relate to everything the movie showed: the importance of primary emotions, allowing ourselves to feel sadness and understanding that each emotion has a fundamental role in our lives. Now, in the second part, my daughter is about to enter pre-adolescence. The film comes at a crucial time, as our children face a more complex range of emotions and situations than those presented in the first film.
My personal history with emotions
I used to be terrified of children. In my 20's, I was sure I wouldn't be a mom. If I saw a baby crying or a toddler in the middle of a tantrum, I would run away. There was something about these raw beings, so real in their emotions, that caused me to cringe; today I know it was a panic to feel those emotions.
I remember one day with my baby daughter, probably less than 2 months old, when I asked myself: "But what are you going to teach me, beautiful thing, if you depend on me for everything? I asked myself with doubt and intrigue, knowing that I had entered an inner world, the one I was so afraid of.
Today I know that being a mom has taught me to know and understand myself. It is a mysterious process when you know that you do not want to repeat the beliefs or ways of educating that hurt you, mixed with the immense love that can be felt as a mother. It is a magical position that leads us to seek to be better, to heal, to grow. On that path, which I call "conscious education", I have learned so much. With each stage of my daughter's life, a new opportunity arises to expand my awareness, to look inside to know myself better.
One of the essential things for this journey of self-knowledge in life, whether as a mom, dad, teenager or entrepreneur, that is, being human, is to learn about human emotions and feelings. Are they not the same thing? No, and knowing the difference is an enormous tool that will serve you all your life to understand and know yourself better and for your human relationships, whether family, personal or work.
Emotions and Feelings in "Intensamente":
In "Intensely," we see how some of the primary emotions, represented by the characters Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger, play a crucial role in the life of Riley, the protagonist. These emotions are immediate reactions to specific situations and prepare Riley to act in certain ways.
- Emotions: Emotions are automatic, physical responses to external or internal stimuli. They are immediate and short-lived reactions that prepare the organism for a specific action. Emotions are psychophysiological reactions to external or internal stimuli. In the film, Joy seeks to keep Riley happy, Fear seeks to protect her, while Sadness, though initially misunderstood, shows that all emotions have an important purpose.
- Feelings: Feelings are the conscious, subjective interpretation of emotions. They are more complex and enduring than emotions, and are influenced by personal experiences, involve a higher level of cognitive processing, and can be influenced by memories and beliefs For example, after a sad event, such as the loss of a friend, Riley may feel sadness (emotion) that turns into a sense of loneliness (feeling) that lingers.
Key Differences:
1. Duration: Emotions, such as the immediate reaction of Joy or Anger in the movie, are brief and transient. Feelings, such as the prolonged feeling of nostalgia that Riley experiences as he remembers his life in Minnesota, can last much longer because they linger in thought.
2. Origin: Emotions are automatic reactions to external or internal stimuli. Feelings are the conscious and subjective interpretation of emotions.
3. Function: Emotions, such as Disgust' s quick reactions to something Riley doesn't like, prepare us to react quickly to different situations. Feelings, such as the developing sense of loss Riley feels as she moves, help us process and make sense of those emotions over time.
4. Awareness: Emotions are instinctive and we should not control them, but allow them to flow ideally, consciously, while feelings involve a higher level of cognitive processing and can be influenced by memories and beliefs and can be modified by being aware of them.
Practical example:
Recall a memory of when a loved one passed away, can you feel the sadness that memory brings? And if you imagine that a loved one in your current life suddenly dies, can you feel all the emotions that are aroused: anxiety, sadness, loss, disappointment, and so on? These are feelings: memories that reflect aspects of past emotional experiences. Emotions are the experiences in the present moment that you are having. They are wordless sensations that will soon disappear after the actual event occurs.
The Importance of Mindfulness
Why do I think this is so important? Because a basic emotion (fear, disgust, lust, anger, joy, surprise) is short-lived, typically a few seconds to minutes. As they arise, they are gone. A feeling, on the other hand, needs our involvement to form and we can hold on to them for hours or days and that feeling creates our experience of life. However, just as we can hold on to them and repeat them over and over again, we can also choose not to, to let go of them by rewriting a new narrative, that is our choice and our power to create our reality.
Is it easy? As easy or as hard as you choose to believe it is, but like everything else, practice makes perfect. If we begin to use our power to let go of what doesn't serve us and choose what does, in this case, what we think about our emotions, then we are actively manifesting consciously what we do want.
Aren't you passionate about how powerful you are? And if we start teaching this super power to our children, to the next generation, what wonders will they manifest in their lives?
Anxiety: Emotion or Feeling?
Anxiety, such an important character in "Intensely 2" and in our time, is it a feeling or an emotion? That's what we're going to talk about in the next column as well as techniques based on brain science to reduce it, see you soon!
Sofía Díaz Pizarro
Sofía Díaz Pizarro is a NeuroCoach, specialist in Mindfulness and Personal Transformation with more than 25 years of experience. She is the creator of the Conscious Parenting® (CPM) method: educating with unconditional love and respect and of NeuroMindfulness® (NM): the science of spirituality. She is director and producer of www.sofiadiaz.tvwhere she provides informative and quality content to stimulate a greater bond between mom, dad and child.
International Speaker on Conscious Education, NeuroMindfulness: the Transformative Power of Love and Consciousness, and the Power of Women in Creating a New World. She is also the creator of the pro-breastfeeding campaign Breastfeeding is your Right®.
Academic Background:
- Studies in Neuroscience at Harvard University- eDx and Early Childhood Education.
- Master in Neurolinguistic Programming.
- Health Coach certified by IIN.
- NeuroCoach certified by the Mark WaldmanInstitute.
- Writer of the book Repeat or Rewrite, available on Amazon.
Comparison of Emotions and Feelings
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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