Ask Eve - Feelings vs. Emotions

When it comes to feelings, they are deeply connected to our emotions. But you can also feel physical sensations without it being tied to any emotion. You can feel cold, hot, tired, hungry, hangry, that might be more tied to an emotion. Hi there. It's Eve here. Welcome to "The Wake Up". I'm back for another episode of "Ask Eve". We're rolling Stop it. It's happening. Stop it. We're here. (Eve laughs) So this first question is from Tristan. "What is the difference between feelings and emotions?" So this is a really, really good question. I get it a lot. We all experience emotions and feelings. There is a difference. Emotions are something that we will all experience, and these arise automatically and naturally in response to stimuli, external, situations, people, places, events, but also internally in the mind. Imagine that you are given a surprise party and the core emotion might be, "Surprise!" But you are also like amazed at how many people have come and surprised you. But you also might be really distracted, because you are caught off guard. Emotions are complex, and I'm sure we can all experience times in which we feel this blend of emotions. Feelings are the way we really interpret and experience our emotions. So this is the physical and emotional sensations that we feel when we experience emotions. Say you're watching a scary movie. The emotion that you might be feeling might be fear, but then you start to feel like your heart rate's increasing. You start to maybe feel really uneasy. And this is precisely why I do not watch scary films just for the record. But you then get into bed and your mind starts reminding you of what was happening in the film. And then suddenly your heartbeat goes, and you feel really tense in the body. So having a very physical reaction to the emotion. Being aware of how we are experiencing the world around us and our internal world is super important for how we take care of our mental health. And so let's go through some tools. Let me grab my little square thing. I do recommend checking out the Gottman Institute when it comes to helping us to understand some of our triggers. This I keep on my desk, and I honestly will look at it probably four or five times a day, 'cause there's almost always a trigger. Also, self-reflection is really a nice way to practice. This might be by journaling. It's easier for me to express how I'm feeling when I write it down. Just some suggestions there. Thank you so much for your question, Tristan. I really appreciate you sending it in. Until next time, take care of yourself and each other....