FACING YOUR FEELINGS

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Anna Diana Arcega Valerio
IV - Michael Faraday


Sad. That is how I am feeling right now. But I have some things to do. Next week will be our first periodical examination. I have to finish all the requirements and pass it on time. I have to set aside my feelings for a while. Feelings. That is what this is all about. “Nothing more than feelings.”

What are feelings? There are four primary feelings: sadness, happiness, fear and anger. All other feelings are under one of these four. Grief, loneliness, guilt, regret, pain and depression are all auxiliary to sadness. Joy, ecstasy, fulfillment, excitement, peacefulness are different kinds of happiness. Anticipation, doubt, hesitancy, fright, worry, anxiety can fall under fear. And from anger can spring hatred, rage, exasperation, hostility, indignation, frustration, animosity, and so on. I do not know if that means anything significant but it is simpler if we bring down feelings to only four. Someone who says he does not feel anything actually feels numb.
My feelings tell who I am. Feelings are entry points to ourselves. When we know how we feel, we understand what is going on in ourselves better. My feelings towards an experience can reveal my priorities, my needs, my ambition for myself, or simply my self concept. Feelings give clues to underlying issues in ourselves. That is why being aware of our feelings gets us closer to knowing who we really are.

Feelings are neither good nor bad. Feelings are not moral but simply factual. The next step to emotional openness and honesty should be an integration of my emotional reaction to my mind and will. I can decide if and how I will act on my feelings. For example, my emotions tell me I am experiencing deep sadness now. My mind tells me I have a task to do – a deadline to meet. My will can decide to wallow in my pain or finish my task. The article you are reading right now is a clear evidence of what I chose to do.

As I hinted earlier, we are not to repress to our emotions, but instead we are to recognize them. On the other hand, we do not have to give in to our emotions. There must be balance of senses, emotions, intellect and will. The emotions have to be integrated.

Fulfilled. That is how I feel right now. Because I choose to do my task and battle the sadness that was gnawing in my heart a while ago, my feelings shifted to a kind of fulfillment. That is one more fact about emotions. They can shift. Using the free will that God gave us, we can make our feelings our servant and not the master of our life. In the final analysis, what counts is that we do the right and loving things in every situation, regardless of how we feel.