Correlation of Energy and Emotion

[ATMA]

It seems to me that one's energy level at a given time is the determining factor in how we can emotionally respond to stimuli.

Let's take depression for example. When you are sad you feel tired... It's draining. I cannot remember a time when I was energetic and sad. Sadness doesn't energize us it makes us sloth-like. And it appears to work in reverse as well as I'm sure you noticed when you are far behind on sleep you may become susceptible to emotional outbursts (overly sensitive, irratable, etc) It also seems as though the primary emotions can be classified as 'draining' and 'energizing'.

 

DRAINING:

-Sadness

-Disgust

-Anger

-Fear

 

ENERGIZING

-Joy

-Trust

-Surprise

-Anticipation

 

(Although fear and anger can both be temporarily energizing but are draining in the long run. On the contrary, surprise and anticipation can tax your nerves if subjected for a long period of time.)

 

It seems the 'draining' emotions can occur at any time, regardless of energy level, but tend to occur more easily if your energy is low/and or you're tired. By this token it's also harder to enter 'energized' emotional states when you are tired/low on energy.

So it would seem to master your emotions and avoid the low-energetic state you must conserve and accumulate your energy.

 

My question is: are there any spiritual teachings that deal with this energy? What expends it? What increases it? What exactly it is? I'm not very well read and finding new philosophies is one of my reasons for joining these forums.

[Protector]

Most wrong, the use of energy is always draining

I already wrote enough on this in chi color topic and it's 1 AM whoo

[Jetsun]

Most wrong, the use of energy is always draining

 

I'm not sure that is true, most people find that if they moderately exercise that they have more energy rather than less, if you have an active life you will have more energy than if you are sedentary.

 

any spiritual teachings that deal with this energy? What expends it? What increases it? What exactly it is? I'm not very well read and finding new philosophies is one of my reasons for joining these forums.

 

The Fourth Way teachings talk about energy expenditure a lot, we waste a lot of energy on negative emotion but they propose that most of us actually enjoy being negative and take delight in indulging in negativity, just go to a coffee shop and all you hear are people complaining and being negative all the time. They have exercises to work on this in that system to plug up your energy leakages.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Jetsun

[baiqi]

Very good point ATMA.

 

But, are you drained because you are sad, or sad because you are drained?

 

I think all emotions are draining to some extent. Only when you have reach neutrality of emotions, you can get your full potential of energy.

 

The question is: how to achieve that, or get closer to it?

[Jetsun]

If you watch a young child they are happy one minute sad the next, they can scream all day long without tiring, so these emotions don't have to be draining. I think the reason why we start to find emotions so draining when we get older is because we start to reject some emotional states and cling on to others, so the main energy drain is from our ego trying to hold onto positive states and reject negative states, our ego battles reality which is exhausting and an impossible fight, while young children and the sage just go with the flow, there is no right or wrong state to be in, so there is no fight and their energy is maintained.

[Marblehead]

I think the opening post is a valid understanding.

 

How to prevent the drainage/depression, I think, will vary between individuals because we all have different backgrounds, experiences, present living conditions, friends, etc.

 

Personally, I look at or read the entire "Optimists International Creed" whenever I feel the need for positive energy. Our mental attitude can do great things for us but it can also do great harm.

[zanshin]

If you watch a young child they are happy one minute sad the next, they can scream all day long without tiring, so these emotions don't have to be draining. I think the reason why we start to find emotions so draining when we get older is because we start to reject some emotional states and cling on to others, so the main energy drain is from our ego trying to hold onto positive states and reject negative states, our ego battles reality which is exhausting and an impossible fight, while young children and the sage just go with the flow, there is no right or wrong state to be in, so there is no fight and their energy is maintained.

 

When young children scream all day long, they usually are tired either that or hungry or sensory overload. Physical stress really intensifies "negative" emotional states, adults overthink these things for themselves too, often a little rest or time to do something to reset will put a whole new perspective on what we think the problem was that caused the intense emotions.

[RiverSnake]

Emotions come and go through everyone's lives. Everyone likes happiness while no one likes to feel depressed, however attachment to either one can be a problem. IMO the important thing is to be able to look at our emotions, understand where there coming from and at the same time stay grounded in the present.

 

-Its when you get caught up in emotions that you lose vitality.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[JohnC]

Most wrong, the use of energy is always draining

I already wrote enough on this in chi color topic and it's 1 AM whoo

Wrong.

 

If you watch a young child they are happy one minute sad the next, they can scream all day long without tiring, so these emotions don't have to be draining. I think the reason why we start to find emotions so draining when we get older is because we start to reject some emotional states and cling on to others, so the main energy drain is from our ego trying to hold onto positive states and reject negative states, our ego battles reality which is exhausting and an impossible fight, while young children and the sage just go with the flow, there is no right or wrong state to be in, so there is no fight and their energy is maintained.

 

This is how it seems to me as well. That it is only exhausting where we resist feeling things.

 

Even depression, is just resisting feeling through something. Because there really isn't an emotion 'depression.' Depression is about something.

 

 

In my experience,

 

Energy is emotion and emotion is energy.

 

I think though it comes to how much space or how open you are internally to feeling it and it moving internally. Like how open and how much bandwidth do you have in your internal wiring (meridians). That as you clear your meridians and exercise and open up your body, you are more able to hold space for the different energies without judging/making meaning or otherwise. Because it doesn't get stuck anywhere.

 

From there it all moves towards peace.

 

But yea some definitely feel more unpleasant. But that is where your practice is.

 

John

Edited November 8, 2011 by JohnC

[Protector]

John, if I'm so wrong then tell me how did you spend every day in your life without getting tired once. I'm curious

 

There is a thing called the 5 elements, it's a system/philosophy/aid in China and in Korea it's called Oh Haeng and something else in Japan. There are five basic emotions associated with each element. Wood Anger, Fire Joy, Earth Love, Metal Sadness, Water Fear. There are more emotions like worry associated with them but they are based of the five basic ones, some people even put worry in place of love. When energy of one element reaches it's peak, it has to turn into the next one in the creation cycle and it takes a previous element to do it. Fire takes Wood and makes Earth. Look up the 5 elements, that's the practice you're looking for.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I think Qi Gong is largely a practice for this. You purge stuck energies from the organs and meridians and then fill them with positive Qi. In the same way, suppressing emotions clogs up the meridians and can suppress organ function.

 

When you manage to do what you're doing, be present, which is what Taoism and Buddhism seem to most often suggest for daily practices, there won't be much attachment to emotions, nor to desiring or suppressing them. Bliss is in balance one might say..

 

Qi Gong and Tai Chi are also really important practices for daily life because they entrain movements to move about 15-20% slower which allows for real attention. When the boss is staring over our shoulder, it feels like we need to both move faster and escape the situation, so suppressing the present may be the first step in the wrong direction.. It also takes courage to face the present unmitigatedly at times but that will make you happier and stronger also.

 

more recently I've been learning to draw and find it a great yoga for being in the present just focusing where the pencil meets the paper unwaveringly when drawing straight lines and circles.. you will know when your attention dropped immediately by the waver in the line, and though this might seem like an intense thing to do, it's immensely relaxing since you can only be that concentrated when you're relaxed...

Edited November 8, 2011 by Harmonious Emptiness

[Clarity]

And it's not just about emotions either. We have sensations, emotions, and reactions. We often get them mixed up. Mistaken identity or misinterpretation of emotions <> reactions, reactions <> sensations, emotions <> sensations.

[dwai]

It seems to me that one's energy level at a given time is the determining factor in how we can emotionally respond to stimuli.

Let's take depression for example. When you are sad you feel tired... It's draining. I cannot remember a time when I was energetic and sad. Sadness doesn't energize us it makes us sloth-like. And it appears to work in reverse as well as I'm sure you noticed when you are far behind on sleep you may become susceptible to emotional outbursts (overly sensitive, irratable, etc) It also seems as though the primary emotions can be classified as 'draining' and 'energizing'.

 

DRAINING:

-Sadness

-Disgust

-Anger

-Fear

 

ENERGIZING

-Joy

-Trust

-Surprise

-Anticipation

 

(Although fear and anger can both be temporarily energizing but are draining in the long run. On the contrary, surprise and anticipation can tax your nerves if subjected for a long period of time.)

 

It seems the 'draining' emotions can occur at any time, regardless of energy level, but tend to occur more easily if your energy is low/and or you're tired. By this token it's also harder to enter 'energized' emotional states when you are tired/low on energy.

So it would seem to master your emotions and avoid the low-energetic state you must conserve and accumulate your energy.

 

My question is: are there any spiritual teachings that deal with this energy? What expends it? What increases it? What exactly it is? I'm not very well read and finding new philosophies is one of my reasons for joining these forums.

 

Emotions have specific states of energetic vibration associated with them. Anger, Rage are low frequency vibrations. Just walk into a room where someone is angry and you can "feel" the energy (even though you might not necessarily understand it as such). Similarly Envy, Greed etc have different vibration frequencies.

 

Lower frequency vibrations tend to be "heavy" so the emotions that they trigger (or the emotions that trigger them) tend to get you feeling "low".

 

 

What you term as "positive" energies have higher vibrations. So, the emotions that they trigger (or the emotions that trigger them) tend to get you feeling "high".

 

I think the general tendency for people is to unwittingly try and match the frequency that is the most prevalent in any situation. So, in a room full of angry people, one tends to resonate with the energy and the result is feeling angry. Likewise with other emotions.

 

Those who are aware of their energy tend to feel discomfort in such "low" environments. The problem is most people aren't aware. Those who have control over their vibration can simply raise it so high that the problems "disappear" (because they are in a completely different Frequency domain).

 

There is a word in some parts of the world -- Satsang (or the company of Good people). The reason is to vibrate collectively as a group at higher and higher frequencies.

 

Some people suggest that emotions are results of energy and I tend to agree, in my experience a particular emotion is "triggered" by a particular energy frequency-- unfortunately most of us aren't aware enough to see this. Repeated exposure to certain types of frequencies embed these in our psyche, where they continue to haunt us (both in conscious as well as subconscious) and play themselves over and over. That's why we tend to react to seemingly mild triggers with extreme outbursts or feelings. These are called "samskaras" (or patterns) and a large part of meditation practice is to first clearly identify the samskaras and then dissolving them.