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100dayproject: emotional awareness
It’s been a few weeks since I finished the 100-day project so the rush of having spent 100+ days of drawing emotions every night has mutated into a more reflective mood of asking myself “what do I take from all of this”?
One thing I keep asking myself is why it seems to be engrained in us to answer almost automatically to “how are you?”; when if we stopped to observe our bodies and sensations, most likely the answer would range well beyond “good” and “fine”.
Many before me have claimed that at least western and modern societies, teach us to escape and ignore emotions. Especially those that are not pleasant. Emotions contain valuable information and compliment decision-making in unique ways. When we learn to hone in, discern, identify and name them, we learn a new language that is at our disposal for use and meaning-making.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to explore my 100-day project and take a look at some of the definitions, quotes and drawings I connected with during this practice. Around day 70 of my journey, I came across Lindsay Braman’s Emotion-Sensation Feeling Wheel. This wheel is a visual tool adapted from the “feeling wheel” many therapists and educators use as a starting point for individuals to become acquainted with the emotional self and can help steer conversations in that direction.
At this moment, I am drawn to group my drawings according to the Emotion-Sensation Feeling Wheel and see what is uncovered from this. Below is my first grouping around “Happy”.
Challenge: Next time you are asked “how are you?” and you are tempted to go to your usual answers, think of these drawings and challenge yourself to be a little more precise. What can you learn from discerning your emotions? How can you apply this to other areas in your life?
References & going deeper:
Movie | Inside out. Disney Pixar. 2015
Tool | Lindsay Braman. Emotion-Sensation Feeling Wheel – Therapy Resource. May 24, 2021
Course | Maritza Parra. Doodle your emotions. Emotional Awareness Series