Emotional Awareness,  A Key Component

Emotions can be difficult, and that’s okay! Luckily, we have many methods and words to help us work through them. Acknowledging feelings and naming emotions can help break a situation into comprehensible fragments, enabling us to move through the said situation more efficiently. 

For instance, when a child cries, a caregiver will likely ask, “What’s wrong?” To solve the problem, the caregiver must first understand what provoked the child to cry in the first place. 

The sense of internal validation from naming and recognizing emotions is imperative for personal growth and well-being. Just think about it- how can you solve a problem if you don’t know what the problem is? You can’t! The first step to conflict resolution (internal and external) is acknowledgment. 

On that note, here are ten not-so-simple words to help you acknowledge those not-so-simple emotions:

1. Monachopsis: the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.
2. Yonderly: mentally or emotionally distant, absent-minded
3. Alexithymia: the inability to express one’s feelings
4. Pistanthrophobia: a fear of trusting someone
5. Anagapesis: No longer feeling affection towards someone you once loved
6. Forelsket: the feeling experienced when you are first falling in love
7. Eleutheromania: an intense and irresistible desire for freedom
8. Marcid: withered, intense exhaustion
9. Ludic: feeling ‘fun’ or in high spirits
10. Retrouvaille: the joy of reunion after a long period of separation

There are many ways to incorporate these words into a daily routine; you could write them in a diary or journal, keep them in the back of your mind throughout the day, or include them on a widget on your phone. Little reminders of these words can help one maintain a balanced mind and feel emotionally aware throughout the day. While this may not seem significant, being emotionally aware can work wonders for your mental health. 

To further prove my stance, let’s do a thinking exercise: Think of a time when you felt constantly agitated. It was like every little thing provoked unwarranted annoyance. The ‘little things’ could have been a spilled cup of coffee, the outfit you planned to wear was dirty, or your pen ran out of ink. 

The event itself was so small and insignificant, so why did it result in such a grand response? Your response to the ‘little things’ is likely due to a build-up of unprocessed emotions. 

You might wake up stressed because of an upcoming deadline or conflicts with a family member. However, if you never acknowledged the source of the harsh feelings you were experiencing, you’ll find yourself blowing even the most minor of inconveniences into temperamental rages. 

Now, let’s change the narrative. Say you wake up after an intense fight with your parent, but you start the day by meditating or journaling to acknowledge your feelings. You might find that you’re feeling marcid or yonderly, for example. Acknowledging the source of your sour demeanor allows you to continue throughout the day without letting all the minor inconveniences send you into an agitated-emotional-frustrated spiral.

So, the next time you face some not-so-simple emotions, take these super-simple steps:

1. Journal, meditate, or take a breath
2. Acknowledge and name what you are feeling
3. Determine the severity of the situation- is it worth ruining your day, or can you move on?
4. Proceed through your day with the intent of being emotionally aware. Name your feelings, accept them, and think twice before letting the ‘little things’ become internal conflicts. 

I hope you all have a wonderful, emotionally aware day, and remember- don’t sweat the small stuff! 

-Lyn Jones

*Author’s Note: Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! Allow this observance to remind us to take mental health seriously- for ourselves and others. Check in on your neighbors, tell a family member you love them, and let yourself breathe.