Sources of energy and positive emotions for zodiac signs. More joy! Where to look for positive emotions

Energy and positive emotions are the basis of happiness in life. You can attract them using the characteristics of each Zodiac Sign.

For each Zodiac Sign, the sources of energy and positive emotions are different, but the basis for achieving well-being in life is the person himself. There are six basic rules for a happy life, thanks to which we can change our personal attitude towards what is happening and get rid of negativity forever.

Aries

The most dynamic and impulsive Sign needs the continuous generation of ideas. However, it will not be enough for Aries to simply come up with something to do for themselves and their loved ones. In order to saturate their inner world with positivity, they need to bring their plans to life. A dream that has come true can give them a second wind and become an impetus for finding harmony with the world.

The source of energy for Aries is active work, support of loved ones and a leadership role in their own endeavors. Truly happy representatives of this Zodiac Sign should rule an empire built only on their ideas and the admiring views of their followers.

Taurus

Taurus can restore and increase their internal resources through work. According to the zodiac horoscope, they represent the element Earth, so everything related to agriculture can give them maximum pleasure. Construction of a plot, raising livestock, gardening, landscape design - all these are sources of positive emotions for Taurus.

But representatives of this Zodiac Sign can draw energy from gourmet dishes, expensive alcohol, and even from any cooked food that suits their taste. Many Taurus people love to cook and feel happy if their work is liked by loved ones.

Twins

Traveling to another country, city, or street can bring joy to Geminis. This Zodiac Sign is so imbued with inconstancy that its representatives are depressed by staying in one place for more than 10 minutes. The new emotions that Geminis experience immediately become positive.

Dating, whether pleasant or not, can increase their energy due to the receipt of new information. Almost all Geminis need constant nourishment with conversations, impressions, and news. Having learned new things, they are saturated with strength for the next feats and adventures. Traveling work or traveling around the world will bring the greatest happiness to this Zodiac Sign.

Cancer

The comfort of home can bring harmony and, as a result, happiness to the most sensual sign of the Zodiac according to the horoscope. Some Cancers are ready to put in a huge amount of effort to furnish their home the way only they want. The main thing is that no one interferes with this, and then they will achieve balance. And when they come home after a hard day, they will draw energy and inner strength from the wonderful surroundings.

The source of positive emotions for Cancers is communication with loved ones, solitude and doing what they love. Any hardships in life can pass by if representatives of this Zodiac Sign spend time with their families. Meditation can also help them get rid of negative experiences, if, of course, Cancers do it at home.

a lion

Leos are accustomed to restoring energy and vitality through the attention of people, sometimes without even noticing it. Nothing can make them happy more than public recognition and praise from the public. To maintain peace of mind, representatives of this Zodiac Sign do not need much - just fame, success and global domination among people.

Leos derive positive emotions from luxurious, bright and beautiful things. And the more they can afford, the greater their joy and self-satisfaction. This Zodiac Sign wants to stand out among the crowd and be a guide to the world of success.

Virgo

According to the horoscope, Virgos are very careful, selective and know how to spend their energy correctly. This Zodiac Sign differs from others in that its representatives achieve internal balance through an established regime. Virgos have already drawn up a concept of action for all occasions. And if, God forbid, something doesn’t go according to plan, they take out plan B. Their influx of energy directly depends on organization in all areas of life.

But they can naturally be charged with positivity. This Zodiac Sign will benefit from any walk in the fresh air, a foray into the forest or a trip to the sea. Contemplating the beauty around them, Virgos are delighted. And after that they try to describe how and what to spend their positive emotions on by day of the week.

Scales

Libras restore their vitality to the maximum when everything around them is beautiful. Anything can delight their gaze: a chic setting, a charming child, paintings, feature films, landscapes, animals, cute trinkets. And it is not at all necessary that it belong to them: the main thing is to see, feed the energy and forget. But many Libras strive to surround themselves with beauty so that they don’t have to go far to find internal resources.

The most romantic nature among all Zodiac Signs, Libra receives pleasant emotions from a loved one. Especially if the other half surrounds you with care, has beauty and gives sweet surprises. A candlelit dinner, a bath with rose petals or a wonderful movie can lift their spirits even after the hardest day.

Scorpion

Scorpios have their own unconventional ways to restore internal resources. The sources of their energy are quite unusual, because this Zodiac Sign tends to draw strength through communication with people. But, unlike Gemini, Scorpios feed on the energy of everyone they communicate with. Their natural energy vampirism brings maximum benefits and gives them harmony. Especially if you managed to make a person angry: angry, upset, deprived of balance.

Contact with magic brings positive emotions to Scorpios. You can talk about it, feel it, or engage in rituals. Everything that, in their opinion, is incomprehensible and unknown, charges with positivity.

Sagittarius

Sagittarians know how to find sources of energy in everything related to spirituality, be it contact with the religions of different peoples, the manifestation of moral values, acquaintance with the traditions of society, artistic activity. According to the horoscope, this is the most inquisitive sign of the Zodiac, which strives for self-knowledge and self-regulation of a mature personality.

Traveling and contemplating ancient monuments helps Sagittarius gain positive emotions, which play a major role in self-improvement. It is desirable, of course, that your stay in another place be exciting and long, so as not to plunge into the routine of days longer.

Capricorn

Capricorns restore internal resources through active recreation, especially in nature. Any foray into the forest, fishing, hunting or just a hike brings them to harmony. The main thing is not to languish in the city and worries. And if it turns out that representatives of this Zodiac Sign go to the mountains, to the sea or to stormy rivers, then you can expect a surge of powerful energy, which will be enough to achieve success in the shortest possible time.

A source of positivity is communication with loved ones, family or work colleagues. Conversations on familiar topics can improve the mood of Capricorns. And common interests or hobbies with your significant other bring positive emotions that last for a long time.

Aquarius

Representatives of this Zodiac Sign know how to easily restore their energy, but they can just as quickly lose it. The surprising thing is that the internal resources of Aquarius directly depend on their mood. Some insignificant trifle can upset them, and any experience immediately takes away all the accumulated strength. Therefore, astrologers advise attracting as many positive thoughts and emotions into your life as possible.

To be filled with positive feelings, Aquarians need to be the center of attention and manage to do a little bit of everything in one day. Communication with people in whom they see a reflection of themselves greatly improves their mood. Like-minded people are able to charge them with pleasant emotions, and subsequently with energy to move forward.

Fish

Pisces gain inner strength and energy when they help others. The income of a person who finds himself in a difficult situation gives them harmony and replenishes vital activity. Perhaps this is the only Zodiac Sign that would suit the role of Superman. However, Pisces can also restore their resources with the help of art: of course, no one forces you to do it, it will be enough to look and feel it.

Endless, identical gray everyday life, creeping one after another, can bring anyone to a depressed state. But you can add color to your life with positive emotions. There are many types of positive emotions, each of them will bring its own positive charge into your world.

List of positive emotions:

1. Interest, interest, curiosity– the most frequently occurring emotion that motivates the development of thinking, knowledge, and skills. Interest is the only motivation that supports routine work. An interested person has a desire to expand his experience and explore something new. With strong interest, a person feels revitalized and inspired.
2. Astonishment is a transitory emotion: it appears quickly and disappears just as quickly. Its function is to prepare a person for sudden or new events and successful actions.
3. Joy– refers to a person’s positive emotions, characterized by a feeling of confidence, significance, the ability to overcome difficulties and enjoy life. It is accompanied by satisfaction with oneself, the world and the people around, a feeling of energy and personal strength. Joy awakens when a person realizes his potential. Obstacles on the path to self-realization prevent joy from arising.
4. Happiness– the most powerful positive emotion. It occurs when a person reaches a goal or when this moment approaches. The road to happiness lies in ideals, dreams, goals. They anticipate the outcome, contributing to the emergence of pleasant feelings. The more accessible and closer the goal, the less happiness you feel. A person who wants to experience happiness to the fullest must determine his abilities and achieve difficult, distant goals.
5. Gratitude- originates when a person feels gratitude and understands that he has received some benefit.
6. Hope– this is optimism, the belief that everything will be fine in the end result. Problems do not seem unresolved, a person sees the future as bright and believes that his wishes will come true, no matter what.
7. Serenity- appears when everything is going as it should, you feel relaxed and calm. Your mind is not burdened with worries. Peace comes in a moment of calm and calm when you can simply enjoy the present.
8. Trembling we feel when awe and curiosity flare up about something incredibly delightful. These can be amazing natural phenomena, works of art, technological achievements. At such moments, the understanding comes that we are just a grain in a huge world.

How to get positive emotions?

The world of emotions permeates all human life: communication, interaction with people, activity and cognition. The effect of positive emotions is enormous: they allow us to expand our usual actions and thinking, create personal resources, make us cheerful, and improve health and well-being over time.

Sometimes it happens that we experience a strong emotional shock, which forms a stable emotional charge that affects our actions and reactions when faced with a similar situation. We are talking only about a negative charge, since we are interested in how to get rid of such a charge.

The existing charge (tension) causes you to hold certain limiting beliefs because the charge gives those beliefs energy.

First, let's look at how we get these charges and why we store them.

For example, this type of charge occurrence is possible. The feelings we experience can be positive or negative. We want to experience only positive feelings and avoid negative ones. In addition, many of us tend to suppress negative emotions.

What happens when we keep inside us those emotions that we don’t want to experience. Let's say you saw someone you were attracted to and approached him or her to get to know him or her. This person has nothing against you personally, but he is not in the mood today. So he responds with something like: “Get off me!”

You feel rejected. You don’t like this feeling, and you suppress it, not wanting to experience it. To yourself you say something like: “I didn’t really want to.”

As a result, the feeling (energy charge) that you were rejected remains somewhere inside you. There was a certain attitude that you would try not to feel this way in the future.

A certain belief is formed in you based on such a negative charge.

After a while you meet another interesting person. At first you want to get to know him, but your memory tells you that you were in this situation not too long ago and releases a small portion of the feeling of rejection. This new person hasn’t done anything to you yet, and you already feel rejected. As a result, you may never approach a person you are interested in again, for fear of getting negative feelings. A close option is also possible, when you approach a person, preparing yourself for the fact that you will be rejected, and behave accordingly. The result will most likely be the same - guaranteed rejection.

Negative charges can be based on a variety of feelings. We can name a few. And you can check if you have this:

• feeling rejected
• fear
• guilt
• loneliness
• uncertainty
• feeling of isolation

Let's say you realize that you have one or more of these negative charges. There are different ways to get rid of them.

I know three exercises to free yourself from this or that feeling, which you can start doing right now:

• accepting the feeling
• getting rid of it
• intense experience

Think about a belief you have that you would like to get rid of. For example, this belief is charged with a feeling of rejection. Think about this belief, accept it, and then let it go. When you notice the feeling of rejection resurfacing, accept it. Open wide to meet him. This exercise can help many people. Feelings will seem to pass through you without lingering inside.

The second exercise is to release feelings as they arise. Just become aware of the feeling and let it go. Difficulties can arise if you resist this. Resistance can intensify the feeling. If your negative feeling is very strong, you are likely to resist it. Notice this fact and then accept it and resist without holding back. Once you do this, it will be easier to let go of the feeling.

If the feeling is strong, we can advise using the third method - experiencing the feeling.

Let's say you broke up with someone you love very much, and you are in deep grief. Let's say you spend 12 out of 24 hours grieving your loss. In this case, find a place where you can intensely indulge in your feeling. If you live with this feeling 12 hours a day, then one more hour of experience a day will not harm you.

Choose a quiet place, such as a park bench. Sit down and begin to experience your feeling as intensely as possible for an hour. If you do this with sufficient concentration, it is safe to say that you will last about twenty minutes, and then your feeling will get boring and begin to dissipate. But you must continue to do this exercise for an hour. After the first day of practice, you will notice that you begin to think less about your problem.

The next day, spend 45 minutes doing this exercise. You'll get bored after about fifteen minutes, but you have to stick with it until the end.

On the third day, commit to 30 minutes, then reduce the time to 20, 10 and 5 minutes. You will soon see that the feeling goes away immediately and you don't experience it throughout the day.

The freed space cannot remain empty. If you are freeing yourself from some charged beliefs, try to replace them with others that are more useful to you.

A man bought himself a new house - large, beautiful, and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And nearby, in an old house, there lived an envious neighbor who constantly tried to ruin his mood: either he would throw garbage under the gate, or he would do some other nasty things.

One day a man woke up in a good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a bucket of slop. The man took a bucket, poured out the slop, cleaned the bucket until it was shiny, collected the largest, ripe and delicious apples into it and went to his neighbor.

The neighbor, hearing a knock on the door, thought maliciously: “Finally, I got him!” He opens the door in the hope of a scandal, and the man handed him a bucket of apples and said:

- He who is rich in what, shares it!

Everything in this world is interconnected. The health and longevity of any person directly depend on what emotions accompany him throughout his life. It has long been noticed that positivity improves the condition of a sick person and even leads to the recovery of patients. Well, negativity worsens your well-being and paves the way to serious illnesses.

A person who does good in any form not only improves the quality of his life, but also creates a positive aura around himself. Imagine, scientists have proven this. We are all capable of radically changing our lives for the better. How? Yes, you need to stop seeing complete dirt around.

Look at the world with your eyes wide open. And how he will surprise you! According to scientists, our emotions are an accurate reflection of the metabolic processes occurring in the body.

Positive and joyful - carry a positive attitude.

And the negative energy that arises in us during outbursts of rage, during an unkind attitude towards others, in a state of resentment, or simply in a bad mood, will sooner or later materialize into illness. And all because resentment carries a deviation from the norm at all levels from molecular to systemic-functional. But we always have a chance.

Unlike animals, a person can be aware of his emotions and feelings, and, of course, the reasons that caused them. The cerebral cortex plays a leading role in the emergence of various feelings.

The outstanding Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov once proved that it is the cortex that regulates the course and expression of emotions. It keeps under its control all phenomena occurring in the body, has an inhibitory effect on the subcortical centers and controls them. Originating in the cerebral cortex, the physiological process spreads to the underlying subcortical centers. Although the entire brain is involved in the emergence of emotional states, electrophysiological studies have shown the enormous importance of special formations of the nervous system. They are also called emotion centers.

The most important of these brain structures is the hypothalamus. Many experiments have shown that by stimulating various parts of the hypothalamus using implanted electrodes, it is possible to artificially induce emotions of pleasure, fear, and anger. Can you imagine?! You sit there, not blowing your mind, and suddenly you start to cry, then laugh, then fall into thought. All this is the hypothalamus. This substance is closely related to the cerebral cortex. And therefore, the environmental influences experienced by a person are reflected in the cortex and have the same effect on the physiological centers of emotions as their direct stimulation.

On the other hand, the hypothalamus is closely connected with the pituitary gland, other brain structures and endocrine organs. Excitation of emotional centers causes changes throughout the body. Important data for identifying the essence of emotional reactions were obtained from studying functional asymmetry of the brain. Namely: it was found that the left hemisphere is more associated with the emergence and maintenance of positive emotions, and the right hemisphere is more associated with negative ones. Experiments show that positive emotions restore all physiological processes. They are able to suppress pain. During laughter, joy, and happiness, catecholamine hormones are released. They prevent inflammation, and endorphins generally act like morphine. In addition, the beneficial effect of positive emotions on changes in blood composition was noted.

During emotional experiences, blood circulation changes: the heartbeat quickens or slows down, the tone of blood vessels changes, and blood pressure decreases or increases. As a result, during some experiences a person blushes, and during others he turns pale. With positive emotions, blood flow to the skin increases. She turns red and warms up.

In addition, the breathing rhythm changes. With strong excitement, a person may choke. The functioning of the secretory glands is also disrupted - grief causes profuse tearing, excitement causes dry mouth, fear causes cold sweat. The tone of the body muscles also changes. Well, despondency, depression, injustice, fear, uncertainty about the future deprive a person of strength, health, opportunities for self-affirmation, and even a man of sexual power.

A direct connection can be traced between severe shock and, as a consequence, stomach ulcers and myocardial infarction. In addition, the upper respiratory tract is susceptible to infectious diseases more often in those people who constantly experience stressful situations or do not receive enough affection and attention in their lives.

Charge of positive emotions

Positive emotions in children develop their creativity

Positive emotions in children develop their creativity

Positive emotions and laughter have a beneficial effect on human health at any age, and also help children develop creative abilities.

Children smile and laugh about 300 times per day, while adults do this only 15-20 times. Babies simply need laughter in the early stages of development.

American scientists have found that laughter activates areas of the brain that are responsible for the development of creativity and creativity. The more positive emotions a child experiences, the it develops more harmoniously .

Pay more attention entertainment for children : take him to the circus, to children's events, watch cartoons together, do creative work.

physical activity and positive emotions

Each of us has favorite activities and least favorite ones. We almost always have the energy and time to do our favorite activities. Unloved activities - even if they are “tasty and healthy” - take a lot of energy, are gladly postponed, postponed, and canceled whenever possible. It is clear that from our favorite activities we get not only benefits, but, above all, pleasure. Positive emotions. On the other hand, if something very useful, for example morning exercises, does not give us enough positive emotions, such an activity does not have many chances to gain a foothold in our lives.

In order for training to become a habit, so that it does not cause negative emotions, you need to positively reinforce yourself with something every time immediately after training.

Anything that leads to pleasant emotions will be suitable as positive reinforcement. And every athlete intuitively looks for ways for himself - someone goes into the shower, someone lies on a massage table, someone drinks a sweet protein shake, etc.

The benefits of positive feelings and emotions

The benefits of positive feelings and emotions

Joy, love, calmness, reverence, pride - all these positive feelings and emotions can change our thoughts and actions for the better. For example, when we are under the influence of positive emotions and feelings, our level of awareness of what is happening around us increases. We literally see and notice more: the boundaries of our peripheral vision field expand. Negative emotions, on the contrary, narrow the boundaries of our thinking.

People who try to find reasons for joy more often and experience more positive emotions every day, compared to those who do nothing to experience such emotions more often, develop close relationships with other people more easily, their flexibility and optimism increase, and they become less depressed and more satisfied with their lives.

This does not mean that you need to strive for a constant experience of euphoria; even not very pronounced positive emotions over time can have an impact on a person’s development and worldview. Also, there is no need to get rid of negative emotions: this can be harmful to health. A person needs both positive and negative emotions in a certain ratio; on average, we need at least 3 positive emotions per one negative one. For almost most of us, the quantitative ratio of experienced positive emotions to negative ones is 2 to 1, or even less. The good news is that you can increase the amount of positive emotions in your life, or decrease the amount of negative ones, or both. A lot can help with this, and everyone can determine for themselves what causes positive and negative emotions, and organize their life taking this knowledge into account.

Why do positive emotions slow down brain aging?

Why do positive emotions slow down brain aging?

I heard that positive emotions are very useful for the brain of older people - they slow down its aging. What mechanism is at work here?

– Positive emotions lead to the production of endorphins in our body, the so-called joy hormones, which protect the brain from the damaging effects of stress. With age, receptors for stress hormones atrophy. If the stress level is high and there are a lot of stress hormones in the body, the brain becomes acidic and free radicals are formed - compounds that destroy any cells, including brain cells.

But you can’t stock up on endorphins for future use. That is why happiness does not last long. Positive emotions must be fed constantly.

It’s good if you have a philosophical outlook on life, which allows you to distance yourself from small everyday troubles, not take them to heart and quickly forget about the troubles.

Laugh for your health!

It’s so simple - I laughed for 5 minutes, as if I had slept for 30 minutes. In any case, this is the state a person experiences. Laughter prolongs life. We noticed that cheerful people endure any stress painlessly. They move through life easily, they even get sick less.

Western clinics have long adopted this simple method. The Birmingham International Society for the Study of Laughter came to a stunning conclusion: in a study of cancer patients, the recovery rate was an order of magnitude higher in those who underwent laughter therapy sessions.

Doctors claim that when you laugh, endorphins, natural painkillers, are released into the blood, which automatically leads to a decrease in the pain threshold. Laughter is a great help for patients suffering from neuralgic and cardiovascular diseases, who are subject to frequent mood swings. Laughter relaxes muscle tension. Laugh even when it's not funny.

Have you noticed how contagious someone's laughter is? As soon as one starts laughing from the heart, everyone around him immediately picks up his laughter. Great therapy. My friends and I practice laughter therapy for ten to fifteen minutes in our weekly bath procedures. Such a spectacle deserves applause. Steamed, imposing bodies in towels, laughing boisterously at someone’s prepared joke. After such a bath you feel rejuvenated and healthy for several more days. Three in one.

Scientists have made another interesting conclusion - babies of funny mothers practically do not get colds. That is, dangerous viruses are replaced by healthy laughter. In essence, laughter is certain breathing exercises. The deeper and louder the laughter, the more forward movements our organs make. The emotional background changes, the entire defense system of the body is regulated.

In different countries, laughter therapy is successfully used to treat a variety of diseases. In Japan, tuberculosis is treated with laughter, in India - the heart, lungs and blood vessels, in England - they banish fears. Positive emotions change the composition of the blood, the human body itself regulates all internal processes and the person is cured of many ailments.

When my friend had her first stroke, she was only 40... We got the best doctors on her feet, bought the most modern medications, and she began to get better. But in our hospitals people get sick, but they should be getting healthier... It was decided to hold a laughter therapy session. There were several other sick women in the ward after suffering strokes. Everyone was recovering, but it was far from complete recovery. For the first time, for 15 minutes I told them funny stories from my life. Everyone showed interest, the mood improved, they laughed and asked questions.

The next day, the session (no one called it that, of course!) was increased to 30 minutes. At the end of the week - up to an hour. After 10 days, my friend was discharged. The time for rehabilitation and full recovery has been noticeably reduced. All her other friends in the ward were also discharged, a week earlier than usual. She still believes that only laughter raised her to her feet. Now uses laughter therapy

Aristotle once said the great phrase: “Of all living creatures, only man has laughter.” In ancient times, this automatically placed man above all other creatures and gave certain privileges. Today, hepotology, a science that studies the effect of laughter on humans, is developing at a tremendous pace. How convenient - no chemicals, no unpleasant procedures. You listen to jokes, comedians (that’s who, it turns out, is the best healer!) and you get healthier. You get pleasant emotions, laugh, have fun and become younger.

Humor is the friend of beauty, health and a beautiful figure. 10 minutes of laughing out loud will help burn the calories you get from eating a hefty bar of chocolate. You want to lose weight!

Today there are laughter clubs in all countries of the world. Is it not in your city yet? Why don't you personally organize this club? There is even such a trend as medical clowning. A group of specially trained clowns performs in hospitals. Recovery rates in such medical institutions are many times higher than in ordinary ones.

It’s really not a sin to laugh... And everyone will find something for themselves to laugh at!

Positive and negative emotions

Emotion is an outward source. This is a way of self-expression in life. This is a characteristic of a person’s attitude towards life.
The emotions people express can be divided into two broad categories. We can think of them as opposites to each other, or we can simply say that there is a dividing line where emotions of one type turn into emotions of another type.
We can call these two types of emotions “negative” and “positive”. This is not so much a value judgment, but rather a description of the basic action of each group. Ratings as "good" or "bad" are not particularly helpful.
Negative emotions express an attempt or intention to “exclude.” Strengthening one's own position at the expense of others. Stay away from bad things, destroy what is perceived as a threat. Negative emotions are fueled by a deep-seated fear of the unknown, fear of the actions of others, and the need to control and contain others so as not to be harmed by them.
Positive emotions express an attempt or intention to “turn on.” Consider something in its entirety. Work on learning new points of view, interact more with others, enjoy getting better at something. Positive emotions are fueled by a deep desire for pleasure and unity.
Negative emotions are, for example: indifference, grief, fear, hatred, shame, guilt, regret, indignation, anger, hostility.
Positive emotions are, for example: interest, enthusiasm, boredom, laughter, sympathy, action, curiosity.
Within each category there is a range of different emotions. It can be said that some are more positive or more negative than others. But they do not have to be placed on a linear scale for convenience, since each of them is a mixture of several elements.
Some emotions are disguised as positive or negative, but are actually something completely different. There is a kind of pity that seems to be a genuine concern for others, but which is more likely to be a consolation from the fact that someone else has it worse. There is an underlying hostility that masquerades as friendliness that may be difficult to recognize at first. Likewise, some types of anger or tears may appear negative, but may actually be an expression of concern and concern for the whole. It is not the superficial outward appearance that matters, but the underlying mechanism and motivation.
It may seem like you just need to get rid of negative emotions. But it's not that simple. They have an important purpose. In essence, they show that there is something that a person does not know and cannot cope with. If negative emotions become a stimulus to learn something and deal with it, they are very useful. If a person is always joyful, he may not notice what is wrong.
Positive and negative emotions are opposites. It is impossible to get rid of one and leave only the other. Ultimately they need to be combined into one.
A client's negative emotion usually directs us to areas that need to be addressed. It shows us that there is something here that the personality cannot cope with. We help her deal with it and transform it into something more rewarding and joyful.
Negative emotions are useful as an incentive to get away from the unwanted. Positive emotions are useful as an incentive to move towards what you want.
Trouble occurs when parts of this system get stuck. Especially when the functions of emotions are reversed and the person begins to move towards what she does not want. Therefore, stuck negative emotions are the primary target for processing.
People can express all sorts of combinations of these emotions. Some people remain stuck in a negative emotion, such as grief, almost all the time. Others remain stuck in positive emotions, such as contentment, and do not know how to experience negative emotions, even when they need to.
Some people react according to certain emotional patterns in stressful situations. For example, a person may have hidden grief or fear that is triggered by certain circumstances. An offhand remark can press a button that releases pent-up anger.
The goal of processing is to make people more flexible in emotions, able to use any most appropriate emotion, and able to use their full range when necessary. A flexible and active person will most likely prefer to live in a positive frame of mind. But in fact, the goal is to unite into one whole, to go beyond the positive/negative idea altogether.

In recent years, more and more studies have appeared demonstrating the connection between positive emotions and human health. Their results convincingly prove that, in general, good physical condition is closely related to life satisfaction and positive emotions, normal self-esteem. Overall, these findings are consistent with long-standing observations and intuitions that positive emotions “fuel” good health. Today, scientists around the world are trying to understand the mechanism of this “feeding” and answer the question: how positive emotions manifest themselves on the physical level.

Positive emotions and heart

Numerous studies have shown that people who suffer from depression and anxiety are at greater risk of heart disease.

The same study showed that positive emotions can protect against coronary disease (coronary or coronary heart disease - a violation of the blood supply to the heart muscle due to damage to the coronary arteries of the heart) and reduce the risk of premature death by 50%.

A large-scale study on this topic was conducted at the Center for Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center. For ten years, the center's specialists observed the participants in the experiment. The group of 1,739 people included men (862) and women (877), with an average age of 46.2 years. All participants were healthy at the start of the experiment; no one had previously had problems with the heart or blood vessels. Participants were also tested for emotional condition. Ratings ranged from 1 (no positive emotions expressed) to 5 (very strong positive emotions).

During ten years of observation, 145 cases of coronary heart disease were registered in the group, of which 9 were fatal.

Next, the specialists used statistical methods and conducted a regression analysis linking the level positive emotions and the risk of coronary heart disease. It turned out that the proportion of diseases decreases by 22% with increasing levels positive emotions for each unit. That is, those who received 1 point (zero positive emotions) risk getting sick 22% more than those who received 2, and those - 22% more than those who received 3, and so on.

Scientists explain the results obtained by several mechanisms.

• Firstly, high level positive emotions ensures better functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system (it reduces the frequency and strength of heart contractions in a calm state).
• Secondly, such individuals cope with stress faster, without bringing the body to physical exhaustion.
• Thirdly, positive emotions ensure healthy sleep.

Based on the data obtained, scientists advise those who want to maintain health to saturate their lives positive emotions. To do this, you need to follow simple recommendations: do more often what brings you joy, be it an interesting hobby, chatting with friends, reading, traveling, sports, even a little good alcohol won’t hurt.

How it works

The leading role in the emergence of various feelings belongs to the cerebral cortex. This discovery belongs to the outstanding Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, who at one time proved that it is the cortex that regulates the course and expression of emotions. It keeps under its control all phenomena occurring in the body, has an inhibitory effect on the subcortical centers and controls them. Originating in the cerebral cortex, the physiological process spreads to the underlying subcortical centers. Although the entire brain is involved in the emergence of emotional states, electrophysiological studies have shown the enormous importance of special formations of the nervous system. They are also called emotion centers. The most important of these brain structures is the hypothalamus.

On the other hand, the hypothalamus is closely connected with the pituitary gland, other brain structures and endocrine organs. Therefore, stimulation of the emotional centers causes changes throughout the body.

As the experiments show, positive emotions restore all physiological processes. During laughter, joy, and happiness, the so-called “happiness hormones” - catecholamines - are released. They prevent inflammation, and other hormones - endorphins, generally act like morphine and are able to suppress pain.

During emotional experiences, blood circulation changes: the heartbeat quickens or slows down, the tone of blood vessels changes, and blood pressure decreases or increases. As a result, during some experiences a person blushes, and during others he turns pale. At positive emotions blood flow to the skin increases. She turns red and warms up. Besides, positive emotions have a beneficial effect on blood composition.

Under the influence of emotions, the rhythm of breathing also changes. With strong excitement, a person may choke. In addition, the upper respiratory tract is susceptible to infectious diseases more often in those people who constantly experience stressful situations or do not receive enough affection and attention in their lives. Conversely, with positive emotions, breathing becomes more frequent, deeper and easier, which activates the heart.

Under the influence of stress, the functioning of the secretory glands is also disrupted - grief causes profuse tearing, excitement causes dry mouth, fear causes cold sweat. The tone of the body muscles also changes.

Positive emotions reduce stress and its consequences, while reducing the concentration of stress hormones - norepinephrine, cortisol and dopamine, trigger processes that strengthen the immune system and increase our resistance to various diseases. It is known, for example, that optimistic people are less likely to get colds, and, conversely, those people who lack emotional balance are at greater risk of catching a cold. American scientists who studied the connection between stress and colds found that the period of severe stress often exactly coincides with the incubation period of a cold.

All these facts suggest that our emotions, both positive and negative, speak body language, and there is no tissue, organ or system in the body that remains unaffected by emotions.

Positive emotions

Positive emotions are an extremely widespread concept, but its content, although seemingly extremely spiritually understandable, is not entirely obvious.

It seems that the closest thing to understand by “positive” emotions (as well as positive feelings and states) are those that have a pleasant emotional background and are experienced as this or that pleasure. Usually these are the emotions that a person experiences when achieving a goal, when he gets what he wanted - emotions of joy, satisfaction.

In fact, everything is more complicated here, and when achieving a goal, when getting what a person wanted, the experience can be both spiritual emptiness and disappointment - due to the fact that the experience is determined not so much by the situation as by the personal characteristics of the person.

Positive emotions, apparently, should be distinguished from “positive” emotions and feelings. Positive emotions and states are those that receive a positive assessment from the person himself and/or others. Most positive emotions are quite the same as positive emotions, and “joy at meeting” is usually both a positive and a positive emotion. However, sometimes there is an obvious discrepancy between positive and positive emotions.

The pleasure of eating is a positive emotion, but the pleasure of eating can irritate someone who wants to lose weight, and a person may consider food pleasure to be a negative, harmful experience for themselves.

On the other hand, if dissatisfaction with oneself prompts a person to get off the couch and start doing something, he will evaluate the negative experience of “dissatisfaction with oneself” as a positive state for himself.

It is difficult to give a list of positive emotions. It can be joy, enthusiasm, fun, interest, daydreaming, pleasure, etc., but children also often love to be afraid, love to suffer and feel sorry for themselves. There are people who experience particular pleasure when inflicting pain on themselves...

The benefits and harms of positive emotions

Oddly enough, the question of the benefits and harms of positive emotions is very difficult. We recommend reading serious articles about both the benefits of positive emotions and their harm, or more precisely, about the greater benefits of negative emotions. Speaking about the meaning of positive emotions, in any case it is worth highlighting the following points.

• This is feeding those around me: I charge others with my joy, I buy them with my joy.
• This is a way to attract attention. I help solve their problems with my energy, my confidence and cheerfulness.
• This is normal trading, when I solve other people’s problems with my positive emotions and show them joy. Therefore, positive (positive) emotions are strongly welcomed, if they are not only attracting attention, taking away and distracting attention from what is important to you.

Hello dear reader. In order to show the relevance of our conversation today, I want you to stop reading the article for a few moments and answer the question: “What emotions are you currently experiencing?”
Have you thought about it? Did you answer?

Now let's see what problems often arise when answering this question.

• Many people answer this question in the following way: “Yes, I don’t feel any particular emotions right now, everything is fine.” Does this mean that there really are no emotions? Or does this simply mean that the person is poorly aware of his emotional state? The fact is that a person always experiences emotions, every moment of his life. Sometimes they reach high intensity, and sometimes their intensity is low. Many people pay attention only to strong emotional experiences, and do not attach any importance to low-intensity emotions and even do not notice them at all. However, if emotions are not very strong, this does not mean that they are absent.
• Another possible answer to the question posed is: “Somehow I feel unpleasant. I feel uncomfortable." We see that the person is aware that there are unpleasant emotions inside, but he cannot name which ones. Maybe it's irritation, or maybe disappointment or guilt, or maybe something else.
• Often our question is answered like this: “I feel like it’s time for me to get up from my computer and get to work” or “I feel like this article could be useful to me.” Many people confuse their emotions with thoughts and desire to do something. Trying to describe their emotional state, they describe everything except emotions.

Meditation exercise for understanding emotions

When working with clients, I often use a meditation exercise to help them better understand their own emotions. It is so effective that I decided to make an audio recording so that anyone could use this technique. The mechanism of action of the exercise is based on the connection between emotions and bodily reactions. Any, even the most insignificant, emotion is reflected in the body (read more about this). By learning to listen to your own bodily reactions, you can become more familiar with your emotions.

You can do the exercise right now. Here's the entry:

Once you have learned what emotions are and have easily learned to describe your inner state, you may be interested in exploring yourself more deeply. For example, you may want to figure out what positive meaning emotions can carry that, at first glance, are absolutely meaningless and even harmful. Read about this in the next