Living through a pandemic, working remotely (at times), moving my college students to two different states, losing my dad, going on vacation, and becoming a certified yoga instructor are a few experiences that define the year 2021 for me. What was your 2021 like?
Reflecting on these experiences it became noticeable that my emotions have been on a “high alert”. No matter what has been experienced, the emotion felt has been heightened by the events of the last few years. Happy and peaceful. Excited and scared. Sad and exhausted. Sometimes these emotions are isolated and sometimes experienced in a span of 5 minutes. Like many, realizing and recognizing what is happening emotionally in any moment is something that I have been attempting to pay attention to.
Because I live with generalized anxiety disorder, becoming more aware of my emotional response to situations is an important part of my day. Overthinking situations can lead to misinterpretation of what I am experiencing. This desire to realize how my emotions and feelings affect my response in situations has brought me to learning more about my own emotional identity.
According to emotional psychology theory, emotions are basic or complex. Basic emotions are identified through facial expressions. Complex emotions are a combination of two or more emotions. The six basic emotions are sadness, happiness, fear, surprise, disgust, anger. Some complex emotions are jealousy, hate, hate, regret, joy, apprehension, anticipation.
Emotional Identity is defined as “an individual’s ability to be aware of affective responses that occur during varied daily interactions”. Being able to identify and name emotions can help to process what is occurring. It also keeps each of us from pushing what we are feeling to the background. It is okay to feel. It is okay to express that. By learning to identify and to talk about emotions, healthier relationships can be developed.
My hope for you as the weeks unfold and you experience the joys and struggles is that you accept your emotions as they occur and take time to process, share, and place them. Take time in each part of your day to check in with yourself and what your emotions are telling you. It may be difficult at first, but over time the rewards will be great.
Written By: Jami Dellifield, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Hardin County
Reviewed By: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County
Sources:
Angel SL. The emotion identification group. Am J Occup Ther. 1981 Apr;35(4):256-62. doi: 10.5014/ajot.35.4.256. PMID: 7223832.
Person. (2020, September 30). Emotion wheel: How to use it for emotional literacy. Healthline. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/emotion-wheel
Posted June 27, 2019 by U. W. A. | P. and C. N. (2020, June 22). The science of emotion: Exploring the basics of emotional psychology. UWA Online. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://online.uwa.edu/news/emotional-psychology/.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Anxiety disorders. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders.
Reebye P. (2003). Identity and Emotion: Development Through Self-Organization. The Canadian child and adolescent psychiatry review, 12(4), 123.
What are basic emotions? | psychology Today. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201601/what-are-basic-emotions
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