Discerning emotions

[noomii]

I find it difficult to discern emotions when doing the emotional scale. 

If I would feel an emotion strongly right now I think it would be easier to identify which one it is but when going through the scale and reaching for a thought (when I don't currently feel it) it's more subtle.

 

Usually I don't even feel anything when reaching for thoughts about overwhelm, despair, powerlessness or dissapointment (when it's not felt in the moment). Even though it has been experienced recently. 

I find it hard to recognize dissapointment and powerlessness.

Same for pessimism, I sometimes mix it up with other emotions.

 

I've never felt passion when reaching for it, I don't remember the last time I felt passion in life, I don't know what I feel passionate about so I'm not sure what thoughts to reach for.

 

How can I more easily discern emotions? What do I do if I don't feel anything when reaching for a thought about an emotion?

[Loop]

I would say to focus on how the body contracts. Watch the interplay of what you are thinking about, what facial expression you have, & how your posture is expressing itself. 
 

Also typically there is more then one emotion fired up around a situation, and there can be an oscillating between two or more emotions. Allowing this to happen can bring some deep processing. A common one is switching in between anger and fear. Stay with the energy, allow it to express how it wants to express, when it flips to another emotion stay with that allow it to express. 
 

What matters is the feeling and expressing, the clarity comes with that. With repression feelings can be really foggy, but as we express the clarity comes. So you won’t always know what emotion is what emotion, then it starts to be expressed & the clarity comes. 🤍

There are many ways of interpreting that you don’t feel anything. Trust your body, allow intuition to guide your practice. There is always feeling. 
Perhaps focus on a different emotion, or intentionally think of something to trigger up the emotion. (Ex: I am not afraid of __________.  I am not angry about ________) 

The blank spaces can be filled with any situation. It can be a scenario you don’t want to happen, or that you do, or something that has happened that you don’t or do feel good about. 

 

[noomii]

@Loop Thank you 🙂 so I guess I don't need to know and I can't get it wrong. It feels the best when I allow myself to freely express in any way I want.