What is your Favorite Emotion?

[Losty]

It's a difficult choice. Emotions are amazing. I think many people don't appreciate them. I was raised not be emotional. Silently contented was my parents' emotion of choice for their girls. Crying was often punished, anger was always punished, excessive happiness was frowned upon and also punish if it included any loud noises (like too much laughing, jumping up and down with Eee). For a long time I struggled to express emotions and for a period...when my emotional health hit rock bottom, I couldn't feel emotions at all. I always refer to that time as when I didn't exist. If you've ever felt such a complete lack of emotion...it's kind of awful.

I like being a bit angry when it's justified. Especially if it means I'm brave enough to stand up for myself. I like being so happy that I can't control the noises that come out of my mouth. I like allowing myself to be completely crushed with sadness, especially because it makes the sadness last a much shorter period of time when you let yourself feel it. Obviously love. Love is a blissful feeling. I don't think it can be so simple as to be called an emotion though, love tends to come with a healthy dose of every emotion.

I think misery is my favorite I don't actually enjoy feeling it but it brings out my creative side. I do my best writing when I let myself drown in my own darkness. The only bad thing is, it can be hard to pull yourself free if you're not careful.

That's a very thoughtful analysis Losty   And you're right, emotions are amazing, just as is everything about the mind. I'm both very emotional and very closed off at the same time. I'm used to shit in my life and I'm stoic about it... I very rarely grieve loss or let myself wallow in it... so I don't cry very much. Nor do I let myself feel regret or 'what if' when I make mistakes because I see no point in crying over spilt milk. Likewise I try to use mindfulness to shut down some feelings before they have a chance to grow strong and hurt me in the long run... and anger is one of them. Anger can feel good and empowering in the moment, as you say, but given the choice I'd rather not feel it because whether directed at myself or at someone/something else IMO it's ultimately unfulfilling and rarely solves anything, and usually makes things worse. But for me mindfulness only really works well when it's about nipping something in the bud, before it's had a chance to properly form... if I miss that opportunity then I tend to feel the full force of the emotion, wallowing in it and finding it hard to get out. So in other words I find it hard to be mindful when I'm actually caught up in an emotion, but I wish I could because that would solve a lot of problems, and lead to true emotional mastery.

I truly think the way I was raised is the reason I feel differently about this. I don't want to use mindfulness to learn how not to feel certain emotions. I absolutely embrace my ability to feel. I don't even know how to describe how good it feels to feel...anything. So I just let myself feel how I truly feel. If that feeling happens to be negative then I work my way through it. But I won't deny my feelings even if they're bad. I love being able to feel them.