It is so surprising how dumbed down we all seem to be about feeling – really feeling. Perhaps it is the amazing pace the world operates at today that does not leave time to even acknowledge the feelings that move through us.  Most of the time, with rare exception, when I ask someone how they feel about something, they tell me all their thoughts about it.  But never really get down to the nitty gritty of how it FEELS in their body.  Everything we do is all about how we want to feel or how we don’t want to feel!  This is why it is so important to know what we are feeling.

Feelings begin in your mind. You see something or hear something that triggers a thought, and that thought triggers a feeling that vibrates down from your mind into your physical body.  If you stop and check in with how your body is feeling, you will find the physical attributes of feeling.

Sensations start in the body and travel up to the brain to communicate a physical need. For example hunger starts in your body and tells your brain to start fixing food.  Pain travels from the source of pain in the body up to the brain to alert you that you are stepping down on something sharp or just put your hand on something hot.  But feelings travel the oppose direction, brain down into the body.

How do feelings feel? Might be a little different for each one of us, but I can share how I experience a few feelings:

Shame – this makes my cheeks hot and my eyes begin to tear up. My throat closes over a prickly hot lump in my throat, making it very hard to express myself.

Sadness – my chest gets really heavy and I can feel my face pull downward and sag, my legs get heavy.

Elated – My whole body feels buoyant, lighter! My feet want to just skip along the ground.  I float when I feel elated!

Do you start to understand how that works? If you are not sure what you are feeling, think about what is going on in your body.  Then put a name to that feeling.  Just starting to recognize your feelings and putting a name to the feeling will get you in touch with your own mind and motivations.   Share a comment below – I love to hear from you!