Mental and Emotional Health: Understanding Emotions

Understanding Emotions

Can you identify the different emotions?

Emotions are sometimes also called feelings. Emotions are what you feel when your mind and body communicate to let you know how to react to the world. Emotions can sometimes be easy to identify—you can be absolutely mad that your brother borrowed your DVD without asking; you can be elated about meeting a new best friend. Other times, emotions can be confusing—did she really mean that hurtful thing she said or was she joking? Do I feel good about how I handled that confrontation, or should I feel guilty? Knowing the different types of emotions and healthy ways to express them is an important part of staying healthy.

Types of Emotions

Love

Love involves the expression of affection, respect, and concern. Love can take the form of self-love and love of others. Love of things is not actually love, because love must have the potential for mutuality—what you love must have the potential to love you back.

What are some ways a person can appropriately show love for self or love for another?

Physical affection, loving words, active listening, good deeds, attempts to understand another’s views, acknowledging and maintaining appropriate boundaries.

Happiness

Expressing happiness comes easily to many people: when a person is truly happy, he or she often smiles or acts excited and animated or serene and content. Happiness describes the emotion people feel when they are personally satisfied or feel positive in reaction to something that has happened. When a person is happy, he or she has increased energy and creativity and is generally able to be more socially open with others.