At times when something emotional is bubbling up inside but you can’t identify exactly what it is and what it means, try Continue reading Access Emotion through Free-association Writing
Category Archives: The Emotional System
Happiness and Love, What’s the Difference?
Happiness and love have much in common but they are not the same emotion. One way to understand the difference between the two is to think of love as personal, happiness as impersonal.
The feeling of love for someone you love is personal. You feel an intimate connection at a deep level. You feel that connection also if you love your country, love running or your alma mater. Happiness is different: it’s impersonal. As pleasurable as the experience is, it is not deep and lacks a feeling of connection to someone or something.
Even if you like to think you “love” chocolate or skiing or old movies, the feeling is one of happiness not love. There is no bond of connectedness between you and some other, it just feels good.
A feeling of love usually includes happiness, and sometimes other primary emotions. As wonderful as happiness is, love is greater, and deep personal love feels greater than any kind of ordinary happiness.
The Beauty of Sadness
Nobody likes feeling sad. But avoiding such moments would cause you to miss some of life’s greatest beauty. Sad moments enrich Continue reading The Beauty of Sadness
The Bitch and Moan Club
Most every group has at least few of them. They always find something to complain about. No matter how good a situation appears to be, Continue reading The Bitch and Moan Club
Campaign: What’s Different This Time
Political campaigns have for years been full of negative advertising and personal attacks. That’s normal. What I’m seeing for the first time this year is a growing resentment among the electorate Continue reading Campaign: What’s Different This Time
Deep Happiness vs. Momentary Happiness
Everybody is happy sometimes. But relatively few of us are happy to the core on an ongoing basis. What adjustments do we need to make? Continue reading Deep Happiness vs. Momentary Happiness
Phony Promises of Happiness
Do you get fed up with messages that hold out a promise of finding true happiness? I sure do. I especially object to those that claim a unique pathway to happiness Continue reading Phony Promises of Happiness
Feeling Blah
Some feelings are clear. You can identify easily the sensation of being angry or scared or deeply in love. But what about those blah days when you feel a general unease Continue reading Feeling Blah
A Hole in Your Life
Loss can feel like a giant hole. Part of your life, such as a job or a person you’ve cared about, is suddenly gone. Even if you’ve had mixed feelings or you knew that relationship was going to end, it can still feel Continue reading A Hole in Your Life
How to Deal With Unexpected Emotion
When a student at her college died suddenly, my daughter called in dismay. In conversation it became clear that the shock was so great, she did not know how to feel. Has this ever happened to you? Continue reading How to Deal With Unexpected Emotion