The Difference Between Feelings and Emotions
Sukha
I used to have a company called ‘Spark Your Sukha.’
Sukha is a beautiful Sanskrit word that translates to: An authentic and lasting state of happiness, ease, and bliss.
Nice, right? It’s one of my favourite words.
It’s that feeling you get when you arrive on holiday. You’ve tied up all your responsibilities, and they leave your mind. You know you’ve got plenty of time ahead to fully relax, and you can already feel your body letting go. You feel excited—you're going to see new things! Maybe you’ll finish a book, perhaps more than one. You’ll be outdoors in the fresh air, and work won’t cross your mind. You have so much time to just... do anything! What will you even do? Ah, it doesn’t matter—this is great!
Hhhhmmmmmmm... A deep, fulfilling breath followed by a slow exhale.
Nothing. There’s nothing in your mind, but a lot in your heart, and a rested, smiling expression on your face.
Feel that? That’s Sukha.
Call it happiness, call it bliss, call it whatever you like. Wrap all the good feelings together with a bow and a chocolate truffle, and you’ve got Sukha.
Breaking it down
We’re talking about emotions, feelings and the condition of the mind.
Happiness = a feeling or emotion.
Ease = a feeling or emotion.
Bliss = a condition of the mind, stronger than happiness.
How do we know when we feel at ease?
Quite simply, we feel it, right? We feel in our body, our current emotional state is felt.
You know when you’re happy. You know when you’re angry. You know when you’re sad.
There’s a difference between an emotion and a feeling and both of these alter the condition of your mind.
A ‘feeling’ is a physical sensation felt in the body. Such as ‘butterflies in my stomach’ or ‘a knot in my stomach’, ‘a lump in my throat’ or ‘a heaviness in my heart’.
These sensations can be used to describe an emotion or feeling and you may feel more than one sensation for any given emotion or feeling.
As an example, I will describe how I personally feel the emotion, happiness:
I feel a rush of energy in my chest, like my breath is so expansive it moves inside and outside of my chest. I feel oxygen in every cell of my body, almost tingling or vibrating really subtly. I feel more energetic and ‘bouncy’ under my feet. I feel physically lighter and strong from the inside- my posture improves, I feel taller and more able to hold my body weight.
My stomach feels light and calm.
This might not be how you describe happiness, because everybody is different.
For this reason it is really important that you take time to notice how different emotions feel to you.
It is much easier to do than you might think.
Take time to think about and write down the sensations you notice in your body when you think of the following emotions and feelings:
Happiness
Anxiety
Concern
Excitement
Love
Confidence
Bliss
Feelings are felt,
Feelings are called feelings because they are felt. They are physical, not psychological. The brain recognises and assesses emotions, which are automatic and unconscious reactions to stimuli. The body then receives signals from the brain and produces physical sensations, such as the feeling of distress, often as a form of protection.
Psychological thoughts can create or change feelings but they are not feelings themselves.
Until quite recently, the scientific consensus was that the brain and body were separate, and they were treated as such. As a result, there is still limited research and understanding of what a feeling really is, scientifically speaking.
However, neurologist Antonio Damasio has worked to show that feelings arise as the brain interprets emotions, which are physical signals produced by the body in response to stimuli.
According to Scientific American, Damasio and his wife Hanna Damasio have created one of the world’s largest databases of brain injuries. Their work explores how emotions and feelings arise, and how they can impact mental health. Full article here
Understanding the Connection
Previously, feelings and emotions were seen as purely brain reactions. Until recently, we overlooked the importance of understanding the physical side of ‘feeling emotions.’ Even though emotions are recognised by the brain, they are undeniably felt in the body.
Damasio explains:
““When we are afraid of something, our hearts begin to race, our mouths become dry, our skin turns pale and our muscles contract. This emotional reaction occurs automatically and unconsciously. Feelings occur after we become aware in our brain of such physical changes; only then do we experience the feeling of fear.””
While there is still much to uncover—consciousness, for example, cannot yet be scientifically explained—research is beginning to reveal the subtle, largely unconscious ways the body and mind communicate. The mind exerts a powerful effect on the body via the nervous system, neurotransmitters, and hormones. It works both ways, as the body also sends messages to the brain that can alter our mental state. For example, poor posture can lower testosterone levels in men, while standing upright and taking up space can increase them.
This demonstrates how closely linked the body and mind are. While the mind can control the body, we now know that the body also communicates with the mind—and we shouldn’t ignore it.
More information on how the brain and body are connected to the emotional body
So what can we learn from the body?
We can learn what makes us feel good, bad, and Sukha. We can learn what we need to maintain feelings of ease and bliss, and stay in that "holiday mode" most of the time, even during stressful periods.
Life isn’t meant to be all rainbows and blooming flowers. It’s more like riding a wave. But that wave can still be a blissful one—if you choose to see it that way.
By listening to your body and understanding what you need to feel good, you can more easily return to a Sukha-like state (whether you call it ease, bliss, or something else).
We can also learn what causes these positive feelings to leave, and be replaced by less pleasant ones—like anxiety, rage, or fear. These feelings are actually beneficial. They teach us what we don’t need or want in our lives. Difficult times can be incredibly empowering if we view them as lessons to be grateful for. The key is to learn the lesson and move on.
All these feelings are signals from the body, telling you more about yourself—what you need and don’t need. The better you listen, the better you’ll understand yourself.
Knowing yourself brings true confidence and power. The next step is making positive changes in your life that align with this knowledge—doing only the things that truly serve you.
Charlette x