Do you need emotions?

Maybe you prefer to be logical and analytical when you feel stuck or confused.

Maybe you expect that thinking through the problem in a systematic, unemotional manner or examining all possible perspectives is going to bring you to a reasonable and useful conclusion.

However, if you try to avoid using emotions in life, you are taking away a valuable part of your intelligence.

Here’s what emotions can do for you

Emotions can tell you what is important to you in a particular situation.

Example: You can pay attention to your ‘gut feeling’ or a ‘good feeling’ when you are responding to someone or something.

Emotions motivate us — each emotion has a primal message that enhances your ability to make decisions and live successfully.

Example: When you are feeling lonely, you may feel the need to connect with others; when you feel angry, you may feel the need to change something; when you feel scared, you may feel the need to be careful, steer clear or make plans for escape.

Emotions contain valuable information that is often outside your awareness.

Example: Young children experience emotions as babies (and the brain processes these emotions — the amygdala has been shown to register, and remember, fear when babies are newly born), but since babies have no language abilities they cannot articulate or recall in memory the context or understanding of these emotions. However, this emotional information remains available to your brain and is used in information processing without your awareness.

Emotions enhance your communication with others and convey what you’re really trying to say.

Example: Emotions colour our facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice. Try saying, “I don’t want to go to the dinner with you” with a sad emotion, then an angry emotion, then a disappointed emotion or a fearful emotion. The words are the same, but the meanings are quite different.

Example: Emotional responses in conversations help people connect and feel valued, understood and motivated, turbo-charging a normal conversation into something that really works.

Emotions are your evolutionary heritage. They are designed to help keep you safe, connected and energized.

What you can do

Take some time to be with your emotions — ways of doing this include taking a walk, taking a break away from routine, meditating, writing, reading, drawing or listening to music.

Notice the emotions that you experience over the day — writing about these or tracking them in a checklist*  can help you with your awareness.