Mental Health Awareness Month puts a spotlight on the struggles that individuals have on a daily basis. A big part of the struggles are identifying ones emotions. You might be saying to yourself that you can identify your emotions easily. When someone is Glitching they have a very difficult time identifying their emotions. What do I mean by Glitching? The definition of a Glitch according to Merriam-Webster is “usually a minor malfunction.” Originally the word Glitch was utilized mostly in the Tech world. I know you have heard the phrase, my computer is glitching, my phone is glitching. There is a malfunction in the computer process.
When humans Glitch it can come in many forms. We have some physical glitches where our normal body functioning is disrupted, for instance; yawning or a hiccup. Sneezing or even when you have a Deja Vu moment. All of these examples almost make you stop what you are doing because they are so disruptive. This is why they are compared to a Glitch or a Malfunction. The same process occurs when you are having Emotional Glitches you begin to Malfunction. This mainly happens because an individual is either unaware or is confused about why they are feeling a certain way.
Spending time with a therapist, group therapy or your Doctor are ways to help you identify your emotions. Realistically, these coping skills are not always accessible in your daily life. If you just ignore or don’t address your emotions you will begin to malfunction. I know this is easier said then done. For many it is a challenge to get in touch with what they are feeling and how these feelings are affecting their daily life. There are many tools out there that you can utilize to assist in identifying your current emotions.
We are an App utilizing junky society. Let’s use these Apps to help us with our mental health. I recommend the App @insighttimer. Each day when you open this App you will immediately be greeted with a positive quote or affirmation. Today’s quote was, “Enlightenment is when a wave realizes that it is in the ocean.” author Thich Nhat Hanh. Makes you think right? Then the app asks you to identify how you are feeling by clicking on different facial expressions. It goes a little deeper by asking you what areas of your life are being affected by these emotions. For example, family, friends, finances or work. The App then recommends meditation or informational lessons on how you can cope with these emotions and struggles. Insight Timer App helps to give you insight into what is going on with inside of you and why you might be glitching. Knowledge is power and the power is really just at our fingertips. Grab your smartphone and begin to explore all of the Apps out there that can help you to identify your emotions.
In the Therapy Groups that I have with my clients I use frequently the Emotions Chart. This chart provides different facial expressions and ties it to the emotion that correlates with the expression. This is even a great technique to use with your own family members especially your adolescent and pediatric children. An adults brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. The years from childhood to adulthood can be a very challenging time and having the Emotions Chart can facilitate a good discussion on how to help identify your teen’s or child’s emotions.
I am going to take this to another level. Emojicons, you know the faces that you click on when you are snapping or texting a friend. We use the Emojis to help drive a point home, to make our words more expressive or to convey how we are feeling. Emojis are a tool to help you to identify your emotions. I am not being facetious with this suggestion. Look up an Emoji chart, it will give you the intended definition for each facial expression and the definition of all the other Emojis. For the purpose of this article we are focusing on the cute facial expressions that we see on our keyboard. The frustrated, sad, happy, disgusted ashamed or even the overwhelmed emoji and so many more. Google the Emoji chart and take a picture of it so that you have it readily available to you. When you are feeling some kind of way, look at the emotion/emoji chart and let it help you to figure out how you are feeling. Once you are able to identify which Emoji expresses your feelings you are then is a good position to identify ways to cope with your emotions. By becoming more in tune to your emotions you will experience a decrease in your Glitches. This will help you to function and improve your quality of life.
“Moodnotes”, is another App that assists you in educating yourself more on what inspires you, your mental health, what makes you happy and many other areas of your life. The key here is to educate yourself on why you are Glitching and what emotions you are experiencing. This insight that you give yourself is truly a gift and will aid you in improved Mental Health. Being the best you that you can be. Self-Improvement does not just happen. We all need to put in the effort and time to get to know ourselves better. Remember, you are always a work in progress and you will Glitch. You now have the skills to be able to assist yourself in this thing called life.
I encourage you to make this a daily practice for yourself. I guarantee that once you get to know yourself better, you will feel more confident, self assured and capable of facing all of the challenges that will be presented to you in life. So how are you feeling today? Hmmmm I think I need to pull out that Emoji/Emotion chart. Go and get to work on becoming the healthiest you possible.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS CREATE POSITIVE ENERGY
GO OUT AND EXPLORE ALL OF THE WIDE OPEN SPACES IN YOUR WORLD
CIAO
Ilise
