Ever Wonder How Many Feelings You Experience in 1 day?
Did you know that the average person experiences over 400 emotions a day?
While that might sound surprising, what's even more shocking is that we lack a system that teaches people about their emotions effectively.
For me, those 400+ emotions completely ran my life before I had awareness they were even there. And even with awareness, it’s still a battle. 😵💫
Like many people, I spent the first 20 years of life in total denial of my feelings, which meant I was doing a decent job of numbing and distracting myself from their existence.
Sure, I felt things, but I couldn’t label it, express it or even understand what was happening. And it wasn’t my fault. We’re not born knowing this stuff.
It has to be taught.
Imagine a world where everyone grew up knowing about and understanding their emotions – it would be beautiful!
That’s why I LOVE what I do! I get to help people understand what's going on, so their life isn’t at the whim of all these pesky, flakey feelings.
Basically, if you name it, you can tame it.
Which means, if you can identify what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way, then you have the power to shift it.
If you disconnect, numb, distract or minimize your experience (like I did most of my life) then the emotions can’t move through you and you become stuck.
By labeling and acknowledging them, you not only process faster, but you’re also empowered to make decisions more aligned with your true, Adult-self.
One of the ways I like to build this muscle is by using a tool I call:
The Feelings Proclamation.
It’s a great prompt to use when you’re feeling lot but aren’t sure what to do with all that energy.
It’s particularly helpful if you want to tell someone how you feel, but you’re not ready to talk, or you're no longer in contact, or maybe they've passed away.
The first time my therapist suggested this, I wrote about my high school sweetheart, a relationship that ended six years prior. 😳
This prompt gave me closure I didn’t even know I needed. So let's dive in!
The Feelings Proclamation
Think of a situation where you have a lot of emotions. Click here to download a feelings chart to help you get going.
Set yourself up to do some writing. Consider if you’d rather write by hand, on a computer or phone. Just make sure you can write freely.
Begin every sentence with “I feel [emotion] because…”
Write until you’ve expressed all you need to express.
I’ll show you an example that I wrote about my upcoming trip to Costa Rica!
I feel excited because I’m going out of the country by myself!
I feel a little nervous because I haven’t traveled alone in a long time.
I feel curious because I don’t know what adventure is in store.
I feel confident because I’ve taken other solo trips before and they’ve been great!
Happy writing!