“I Feel Therefore…”

            Emotions are beautiful aspects of human life and make it fascinating and respond to situations appropriately. When you get your first job, you may jump with happiness, or when your dear friend loses a parent you might become sad and hug them with tears. However, our emotions are not accurate always and can lead to making wrong decisions and acting in an unhealthy way. 

           One illusion that counsellors often help their clients overcome is I feel therefore, it is true (Gilbert, 2013). Some concrete examples of this misconception are: I feel anxious going for an interview, so it must be bad, and I must avoid it; I feel angry, so I must hit him; I feel they dislike me, so I must withdraw from them. What we feel is not always true. Often feelings are fruits of what happened in our past and may not have much to do with what is at hand. For example, if you had an unpleasant experience while traveling on a train, you might feel anxious while traveling again on a train. Or, if one of your teachers were harsh to you, you might feel nervous, even after decades, of approaching another teacher. If we behave guided by every feeling that emerges within then imagine how ill-advised and chaotic we can make our life. 

            It is critical to discern our feelings and not to become slaves of them. Sometimes tolerating them and not acting upon them can help us avoid impulsive acts. At other times, we can replace them with new motives and emotions rooted in compassion and goodness (Gilbert, 2013). Discern the roots of your emotions, particularly those that produce negative outcomes for you and others. Make emotions your strength and allow them to enhance your human experiences. 

 

References

Gilbert, P. (2013). The compassionate mind. Robinson.