“No such thing as an Emotional Hierarchy”

What do think about positive emotions and negative emotions? It’s important to reflect on this because some people believe that negative emotions are bad and positive emotions are good.  What this means is that you may not express negative emotions as much, or at all, compared to positive emotions. Of course you have misperceptions about being seen as weak or emotionally unstable if you express negative emotions, but all emotions are on the same playing field.  One emotions is not higher than the other. There are many who hold in their negative emotions and don’t know how to express or cope with them in helpful ways. How will you really know what happiness truly feels like if you never allow yourself to feel sad? How will you really know what being respected feels like if you chose not to acknowledge when you have been disrespected? How can really experience success when you haven’t allowed yourself to fail?

This reflection was written by Dr. Jas