Your Emotions as Super Powers

"Your tendency to identify with negative thoughts repeatedly is what allows them to

grow stronger." - Thibaut Meurisse

The process of emotion formation consists of the following phases - interpretation,

identification, and repetition, which ultimately create a strong emotion.

Often, as you move to activate the audacity to take action on the things you say you want - its the experience of certain emotions that slows you down, dilutes your desire or distracts your focus. 

Understanding how much you are actually the creator of those emotions allows you to realise that they dont ever have to dictate what you do or dont do. 

Interpretation implies how we interpret something that happens. 

Then comes identification, when we identify entirely with the thoughts that occur

to us due to our interpretation of events.

Repetition represents the automatic repetition of the same thoughts constantly (this is a big one for many people because by allowing constant repetition, that emotion

becomes part of our identity)

In the future, that emotion can be activated whenever some thoughts or related events arise.

For example, you made a mistake within your work and feel embarrassed by it. You keep coming back to the same thought about that situation, and as a result, your emotions of feeling like an imposter, not good enough, shameful etc increase in intensity. 

Action Steps

1. Recall one past situation when you experienced uncomfortable or outright negative emotions.

2. Analyse the interpretation phase.

Answer the question: "What events happened, and what thoughts arose?"

3. Analyse the identification phase

Answer the question: "How did I respond to these thoughts?"

4. Analyse the repetition phase.

Answer the question: "Do I identify with these thoughts repeatedly?"