The 4 Basic Human Emotions
Today's post will touch on a slightly personal note, but I felt like this should be shared just to lend some form of hope and encouragement to others like me.
I have not confided much in anyone about how affected I am by anxiety and depression. In my 26 years of life, twice I have been at the lowest point in my life - both times equally bad. I learned many different things through both experiences. But, as is well known about depression and anxiety, the phases were the most difficult and I have just started to slowly recover from it now.
The second phase has been as recent as last year, when I actually lost my memory and couldn't recognise people or places. Anxiety attacks were my constant companion - a painful shortness of breath which can cause you to black out in serious cases. Losing consciousness was common in my case.
After much struggle and support from my near and dear ones, I have reached where I am today. I was given medication to support my brain function as well as for sleep and recently, the dosage has been increased.
Recovering is a long and slow process, if it has affected you as much as it has me. And it is definitely not easy on your loved ones either. Earlier in my recovery phase, I was prone to self-mutilation and sudden fits of crying without knowing the reason. My moods also fluctuated drastically and it was nowhere within my control.
There were many instances where I asked why I keep going in circles and how I can change it. And it wasn't till my current visit to India that I found the answers I was looking for, through a counseling session.
I also learned that Psychiatrists are different from Psychologists and Counselors. Psychiatrists only mostly prescribe medicines. Very few psychiatrists actually spend the time to counsel you. Meanwhile, psychologists and counselors do not prescribe medicines. They listen to you, communicate with you and teach you methods to overcome your difficulties.
It is rather important to know this difference, for it can greatly influence the recovery phase. Medication alone is not sufficient in most cases. It was definitely not enough for me.
My counseling was arranged with a well known professor in Kerala, Prof. V. J. Anthony. Today, I just attended my 3rd counseling session. I have been showing significant improvement since the 2nd session, which was last week. I feel different and people around me have also noticed the positive changes in me.
When you are anxious or depressed, it is not easy to motivate yourself. And the most common emotions are fear, grief / sorrow and anger.
I learned that these 3 are actually among the 4 most basic human emotions. The words used are Sad, Mad and Scared. The 4th emotion is happiness.. 'Glad'. So it's Glad, Sad, Mad and Scared. Easier to remember that way.
Isn't it really eye-opening and somewhat philosophical that the majority of our basic feelings are negative? Is it not little wonder that people always have to try hard to be happy? It is easier for us to feel angry, scared or sad, because it requires much less effort than to find happiness.
The aim in life is to actually overcome Mad, Sad and Scared, to live with Glad. Many people don't know this and many people, in their effort to face problems in life succumb to Mad, Sad and Scared. That's when depression and anxiety sets in. See - Mad, Sad and Scared leaves people feeling hopeless and helpless.
The methods that Prof. Anthony has been teaching me in the last two sessions are aimed at overcoming the 3 negative emotions and encouraging the indulgence in happiness without feeling undeserving of it. The methods are called Neuro-Linguistic Programming, NLP for short. And I will be writing all about what I've learned in upcoming posts. It's much better to dedicate single, descriptive posts to each of the methods I learned because I wish to share what I learned with everyone out there, instead of just mentioning it.
Whatever I have mentioned in this post was learned through my counseling sessions, and was taught to me by Prof. Anthony. It has shed light on a lot of the questions I had about myself and my illness, which is the reason why I am confidently able to say that I am finally on the road to a complete recovery right now.
Stay tuned for more details on what I learned.
After much struggle and support from my near and dear ones, I have reached where I am today. I was given medication to support my brain function as well as for sleep and recently, the dosage has been increased.
Recovering is a long and slow process, if it has affected you as much as it has me. And it is definitely not easy on your loved ones either. Earlier in my recovery phase, I was prone to self-mutilation and sudden fits of crying without knowing the reason. My moods also fluctuated drastically and it was nowhere within my control.
There were many instances where I asked why I keep going in circles and how I can change it. And it wasn't till my current visit to India that I found the answers I was looking for, through a counseling session.
The difference between Psychiatrists and Psychologists
I also learned that Psychiatrists are different from Psychologists and Counselors. Psychiatrists only mostly prescribe medicines. Very few psychiatrists actually spend the time to counsel you. Meanwhile, psychologists and counselors do not prescribe medicines. They listen to you, communicate with you and teach you methods to overcome your difficulties.
It is rather important to know this difference, for it can greatly influence the recovery phase. Medication alone is not sufficient in most cases. It was definitely not enough for me.
My counseling was arranged with a well known professor in Kerala, Prof. V. J. Anthony. Today, I just attended my 3rd counseling session. I have been showing significant improvement since the 2nd session, which was last week. I feel different and people around me have also noticed the positive changes in me.
The 4 basic human emotions
When you are anxious or depressed, it is not easy to motivate yourself. And the most common emotions are fear, grief / sorrow and anger.
I learned that these 3 are actually among the 4 most basic human emotions. The words used are Sad, Mad and Scared. The 4th emotion is happiness.. 'Glad'. So it's Glad, Sad, Mad and Scared. Easier to remember that way.
Isn't it really eye-opening and somewhat philosophical that the majority of our basic feelings are negative? Is it not little wonder that people always have to try hard to be happy? It is easier for us to feel angry, scared or sad, because it requires much less effort than to find happiness.
The aim in life is to actually overcome Mad, Sad and Scared, to live with Glad. Many people don't know this and many people, in their effort to face problems in life succumb to Mad, Sad and Scared. That's when depression and anxiety sets in. See - Mad, Sad and Scared leaves people feeling hopeless and helpless.
The methods that Prof. Anthony has been teaching me in the last two sessions are aimed at overcoming the 3 negative emotions and encouraging the indulgence in happiness without feeling undeserving of it. The methods are called Neuro-Linguistic Programming, NLP for short. And I will be writing all about what I've learned in upcoming posts. It's much better to dedicate single, descriptive posts to each of the methods I learned because I wish to share what I learned with everyone out there, instead of just mentioning it.
Whatever I have mentioned in this post was learned through my counseling sessions, and was taught to me by Prof. Anthony. It has shed light on a lot of the questions I had about myself and my illness, which is the reason why I am confidently able to say that I am finally on the road to a complete recovery right now.
Stay tuned for more details on what I learned.
1 comments
You have such an interesting blog. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading your posts. All the best for your future blogging journey.
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