115: Emotional Health (Part 2)
[b]أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ[/b]
[i]Do people not realize that we have given them( the capacity to interact with the world) through senses of sight and of communication and guided them to the two ways?[/i][b] [Qur’an 90:8-10] [/b]
[b]Fundamental Human Characteristics[/b]
Human beings are a combination of fundamental characteristics …[list][*]Biological: We are physical bodies with a particular appearance and with specific aptitudes. We are male or female, aving weaknesses and strengths.[/*][*]Spiritual: We have a core inner dimension which is not physical yet responds to the physical world.[/*][*]Mental: We think, analyze, imagine and are creative.[/*][*]Ethical: We filter what we perceive through the prism of our beliefs.[/*][*]Social: We are social by nature, interdependent by design.[/*][*]Emotional: We have feelings that are influenced by the way we interpret what we experience. The essence of our humanity often seems to be found in our feelings, from caring, compassion, love and joy through to fear, guilt hatred and anger. Our feelings are the primary source of our sense of aliveness[/*][/list]
[b]Emotions as a Means of Inter-Human Connectedness[/b][list][*]Emotions = stimulating pieces of energetic information that aid our …[/*][*]awareness of ourselves and the world around us[/*][*]capacity to understand the world and how we relate to it.
~Emotions = energy experiences we have in common. We all experience the same
basic emotions. When we discuss fear or anger or sadness or joy, we all know
exactly what we are talking about.basic emotions. When we discuss fear or anger
or sadness or joy, we all know exactly what we are talking about.
~Emotions = our shared experiences, a common language that allows us to
relate to each other, and pathways that connect us as humans. [/*][/list]
Positive & Negative ~ The world consists of both positive and negative energy; and emotions are one aspect of those energies. There are two broad dimensions of emotional experience:[list][*]positive affectivity: the range of positive emotion, from enthusiasm and excitement to calm and quiet. Joy, love and happiness involve positive affectivity[/*][*]negative affectivity: refers to emotions that are negatively toned, such as anxiety, anger, guilt, and sadness[/*][/list]
Of all the emotions we share as social beings, anger and humor are among the most common. The consequence of each could be tremendous.[list][*]Use and Abuse of Anger ~ Anger is an extremely powerful emotion. If allowed to build up inside a person, it could be like pressure building up in a pot of boiling water with a lid on. "Anger is a great force. If you control it, it can be transmuted into power" [Swami Sivananda].[/*][*]There is an ancient Indian saying that states ... hell has three gates: lust, anger and greed.[/*]
[*]Prophet Muhammad said: الغضب يفسد الايمان كما يفسد الخل العسل "Anger can spoil faith like vinegar spoils honey."[/*][*]An old African saying warns us about the fact that anger is often more damaging than the injury that caused it.[/*][*] What we do with our anger reveals a lot about ourselves. We could ...
~use it to correct a wrong
~use it to speak out with resolve and build self-esteem
~turn it inwardly and destroy ourselves
~abuse it to lash out at others.[/*][/list]
[b]Use and Abuse of Humor ~[/b]Use humor as a tool rather than a weapon.
Great humor is based upon the reality of everyday living. While our minds explore the mysteries of the universe, our bodies are firmly attached to earth. While our souls explore the nature of God or the meaning of life and death, we are engaged in such basic necessities as eating, sleeping and breathing.[i]Humor is a reminder that no matter how high the throne one sits on, one sits on one's bottom.[/i] [humorist and artist, Taki]
[list][*]Laughing with others builds confidence, brings people together and pokes fun at our common dilemmas.[/*][*]Laughing at others destroys confidence, ruptures relationships, and singles out individuals as the butt of jokes[/*][/list]
Our five senses are incomplete without the sixth --- a sense of humor.
A sense of humor... is needed in life[i] Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.[/i] [Hugh Sidey]
Abdallah bin Harith, a companion of Prophet Muhammad, said;
[b]ما رأيت أكثر تبسما من وجه رسول الله[/b]
[i]I have not seen anyone smiling more than the Prophet of Allah. [/i]
[b]Feeling our Feelings[/b]
Emotions are a guide to where we are in relation to the reality of the world we live in.[list]
[*] Being strongly connected to your emotional life is essential to living a life with high energy and a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.[/*][*]Denying the emotion or misrepresenting to ourselves or others what we feel may in reality be suppressing the truth and could lead to a skewed perception of reality.[/*][*]People are afraid to really feel their feelings, afraid of losing control, afraid of the challenges involved or whatever the emotion brings with it. People are afraid to cry. [/*][/list] [list][*]You are to a great degree what you feel. You may say what you want with your mouth, but you are in reality what you feel in your heart.[/*][*]Remember the Golden Rule is تحب للناس ما تحب لنفسك ان
that you love for others what you love for your self. If you do not love yourself, then this universal rule will be ineffective. In order to love, we need to be honest with ourselves regarding our own feelings.[/*][/list]
Emotions and Reality
We need to realize that, ultimately, emotions are our response to the reality as we perceive it. Our perception becomes our reality. Remember the Prophet’s prayer اللهم ارنى الأشياء كما ه[i] O Allah! Show me things as they really are.[/i]
If we do not see “things” as they really are, then what are we seeing?
If we do not realize / refuse to acknowledge what we really feel then what are we feeling? Our emotions influence our reality.