Emotions are a powerful thing. Whether the emotion is happiness or sadness, it has a drastic impact on one’s day. When struggling with mental health, it is very easy for emotions to control one’s thoughts or confuse one’s feelings. Imagine going to an airport, about ready to go on a dream vacation. Suddenly, there’s this feeling in your stomach. It feels like a knot and you might feel like you suddenly have a lot of gas. You might even feel like you’re going to throw up or need to run to the nearest restroom so you won’t have an accident. Now, is this anxiety or excitement? They both bring the same symptoms, so it’s important to become aware of your feelings. Emotional awareness is a critical part of the recovery process and is key to living a better future.

Write Down What You Are Feeling

It’s important to write down what you are feeling in order to really pinpoint what you’re experiencing. As stated before, excitement and anxiety have similar symptoms. However, if you experience sweaty palms when having an anxiety attack and you don’t this time, it might be excitement instead. If you feel angry, but have a knot in your stomach as well, you might be feeling jealous. Once realizing what emotion you’re experiencing, you can figure out why you’re experiencing it. This is an early step of developing better emotional awareness.

Analyze the Situation

You know what you’re feeling now. Ask yourself why you are feeling it. If you feel sadness, why do you feel that way? Are you watching a sad movie? Are you going through a tough break up? Did one of your friends not invite you out and posted it on Facebook? Knowing why you are feeling a certain way helps you better understand the emotion. Also, once you know what is causing the emotion, you can ask yourself if others would feel this way if they were in the same situation. Therapy options like cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you address situations differently and in a manner that leads to more positive results.

Remind Yourself It Is Okay to Feel This Way

Some people don’t like to feel sadness, jealousy, or anger. It is okay to feel these feelings. The important part is how you act on these emotions. If you feel jealous about an ex getting into a new relationship before you, it is normal and okay to feel that way. If you verbally attack their new boyfriend or girlfriend due to the jealously, that is not okay. If you know what you’re feeling, why you feel this way, and remind yourself that these are normal feelings you will find that the next time you feel the excitement, you can identify it as that and not confuse it with anxiety.

Call Oceanfront Recovery To Learn More About Treatment

Addiction does not have to control your life forever. Your story is waiting to begin with the rest of your life. Treatment is the beginning of the journey that changes your story. At Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in Orange County, California, we believe that when you change your story, you change your life. We offer a number of therapy options to help you overcome any mental health or addiction problems you are experiencing and increase your emotional awareness. Some of these therapy programs include:

Contact us today for information on our programs for treatment, including our exclusive executive track. Call 877.296.7477 to speak to one of our staff members about next steps you should take. Your life can change for the better. Make the right call today.