Studies have found that there are more distinct emotions than we realize like admiration, adoration, appreciation, amusement, anger, anxiety, awe, awkwardness, boredom, calmness, confusion, contentment, craving, desire, disgust, empathy, entrancement, envy, excitement, faith, fear, frustration, forgiveness, gratification, hope, horror, inspiration, interest, joy, love, nostalgia, pride, romance, sadness, satisfaction, sexual desire, sympathy, triumph and much much more.

Emotion is basically a strong feeling deriving from circumstances around us. It is a complex psychological phenomenon and is a mixture of conscious and unconscious mind. It is intense feelings and responses to internal or external events, a person or something. It is associated with mood, temperament, personality, mind, hormones, autonomic nervous system and many more. With conscious effort and practice we can learn to balance our emotions well.

Basic Emotions

• Happiness
• Anger
• Fear
• Sadness
• Disgust

"Name it to tame it" – Dr Dan Siegel a renowned neuropsychiatrist called it "mindsight". Anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. This simple phrase shows that naming emotions is an important aspect to manage emotions well.

It is very important to name the emotion you are going through to create mindfulness, self- awareness and communication. During difficult times we may be experiencing more than one emotion at the same time, which makes it difficult to handle ourselves. But, once we name the actual emotion it distances us from the initial rush of confusion and mixed emotions and gives us space to analyze the situation. It slows down our body and mind and gives us clarity and connects to thinking and reasoning. With practice we can choose how to respond to others and handle ourselves well.

It will be easier if we recognize and decode emotions of ourselves and others to avoid misunderstanding and conflicts in our life.