Familiar emotions\u2014but how do we deal with them?<\/p>\n
13 July 2020 | St Albans, UK [Helgi J\u00f3nsson] <\/p>\n
\u201cPeace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid\u201d (John 14:27).1<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n Emotions such as fear or anxiety are not unfamiliar to us these days. They\u2019re probably some of the most common emotions we experience, but often we\u2019re more reluctant to admit to our fearfulness or anxiety than to joy and happiness. Shame and stigma are often connected to them, and many emotions are related to weakness. We\u2019re supposed to be strong; we\u2019re always supposed to cope.<\/p>\n According to neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett2<\/sup>, emotions are made when the brain is predicting the body\u2019s energy need in any given situation and responds to that need by releasing hormones into the bloodstream, which releases the energy from our stores. We call these hormones stress hormones. Perhaps we should, instead, call them energy hormones. When they\u2019re released, they give us a certain bodily sensation. Based on the situation we\u2019re in, we\u2019ve given these feelings names, such as anticipation, anxiety, disgust, joy, fear, and so on. These concepts differ by culture. We don\u2019t all have the same emotional concepts of the world, and therefore the brain doesn\u2019t have specific areas for specific emotions. The brain is so brilliant and efficient. So well designed.<\/p>\n This prediction is constantly taking place all day long. Throughout the day we\u2019re usually in familiar situations where there\u2019s no uncertainty; and because of prior experiences, the brain\u2019s system knows how much energy is needed. We are, therefore, in a neutral emotional state.<\/p>\n Meeting Bigger Energy Needs<\/strong><\/p>\n But what makes us expect a bigger need for energy? That would be our thoughts and ideas. Our brain doesn\u2019t predict a greater energy need unless we feed it with a certain interpretation of the present or the future.<\/p>\n If I think, for instance, that there\u2019s a big, venomous spider in the kitchen sink, I might think I have to fight it or run away; therefore, I need more energy. Automatically, the brain makes available all the energy needed. I can sense it in the rush that goes through my body. If I just think that the black thing in the sink is a bundle of hair, there\u2019s no greater energy need. I just reach out, grab it, and throw it into the bin\u2014until I realise it\u2019s a spider!<\/p>\n These predictions are based on our thoughts, beliefs, and trust. Our beliefs are based on our prior experiences or other knowledge we\u2019ve gathered on our journey, and on what kind of environment we were raised in. For instance, I never worry about snakes when I\u2019m out in nature. No matter where I travel, they never cross my mind. To me, they could just as well not exist. I wasn\u2019t raised with snakes around me. But should I hear a sound resembling howling winds, my heart might skip a beat, because I\u00b4ve experienced the destructive powers of strong wind. Different experiences make for different reactions and emotions.<\/p>\n Anxiety<\/p>\n Anxiety is characterised by catastrophic ideas. It\u2019s like Murphy\u2019s law: \u201cAnything that can go wrong will go wrong.\u201d There\u2019s no end to our ability to cook up catastrophes in our minds. But also, in that respect, we\u2019re not all alike. Some of us think about all the possible worst-case-scenario outcomes, while others don\u2019t seem to worry hardly at all. Both abilities are good; they just need to be in balance.<\/p>\n Imagine two friends who want to go on a road trip together. The anxious one might foresee a punctured tire, running out of gas, motor failure, bad weather conditions, and whatnot. That person will pack accordingly. The friend is focused only on the sunshine being anticipated, so a pair of sunglasses and some summer clothes are the main concern. They\u2019re both going on a trip to unknown places, and both of them feel a tingling sensation in their abdomen. The anxious one calls it a knot in the stomach, and the other one a butterfly, because that person\u2019s anticipating joyful things. Two different concepts based on two different interpretations of the same situation. I\u2019m not saying they\u2019re feeling the same thing, but similar things are going on in their bodies\u2014perhaps with a difference in magnitude.<\/p>\n It\u2019s good that the first friend has packed all kinds of things in case they do have a punctured tire; then they\u2019re prepared. Summer clothes are of no help in such conditions. So, foreseeing negative outcomes isn\u2019t a bad thing, as long as we don\u2019t become too preoccupied with them.<\/p>\n No One Is Immune<\/strong><\/p>\n Although I\u2019m a trained psychiatrist and cognitive behaviour therapist, I\u2019m not immune to emotions, such as anxiety. Working with it every day doesn\u2019t make me unfamiliar with it on a personal level.<\/p>\n I remember my first year at university. I had an exam in chemistry that was scheduled for a Sabbath. It wasn\u2019t as if I hadn\u2019t been in a similar situation in primary or high school, but this was different. This was university, the mecca of science. Why would anyone here care about my religion or beliefs? They would probably just decline my request to take the exam on another day. My thoughts took me all the way to being expelled. I would never live my dream of becoming a medical doctor, and would probably end up doing something I had no interest in. A life of unhappiness would await me. (I know; a bit over the top!)<\/p>\n Those were my thoughts, but not my reality. When I mustered the courage to call my chemistry professor and plead my case, she said she wouldn\u00b4t be able to comply with my request at the time. But she was surprisingly supportive and was willing to have the next exam on a different day so that I could take both at the same time. Throughout my six years at the university, I had to request a change of exam dates almost every semester. The examination supervisor got to know me, and whenever I entered his office, he would greet me with \u201cOh, hi! What do you need to change this time?\u201d I had a special deal with him: I could always take the exams a day before my classmates, and he trusted me not to tell anyone about the questions. This was far from what I had anticipated a few years earlier. This taught me not to worry as much and to trust in God\u2019s providence when I follow His will.<\/p>\n Leave Our Cares With Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n Jesus pointed toward the birds in the air and the lilies in the field (Matt. 6:25-34). He said they are taken care of. The birds don\u2019t need to worry about getting enough to eat, because our heavenly Father will provide them with everything they need. Don\u2019t worry about tomorrow, He said. Live today; live now. Whatever will happen comes later, and that comes soon enough. When that happens, you\u2019ll know what it is.<\/p>\n Sometimes that\u2019s easier said than done. But the more chances we take on trusting God, the more our trust in Him grows. That has been my own experience\u2014both personally and professionally.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Fears<\/strong><\/p>\n During the past few months almost all of us, no matter where we live on the planet, have been threatened by possible COVID-19 infection. People have feared the illness itself, but more than that, people have feared the effects of isolation and the financial implications of the government response in many countries.3<\/sup> The news we\u2019re bombarded with every hour of the day isn\u2019t always helpful either. Some of the worries are based on a reality we cannot change. What we can change is how we interpret it. We can change our thoughts from \u201cI can\u2019t\u201d to \u201cIt\u2019s difficult, but I will manage.\u201d Devastating things may happen, but we must live on. And we can live on. We can continue. When Jesus talked about the birds in the air, He was pointing out the fact that God values us much more than them and that He will not leave us or forsake us. When we need Him, He is there. In our ordeals we must focus on who He is.<\/p>\n Feelings or emotions shouldn\u2019t be frowned upon or ridiculed; not by others and not by ourselves. They\u2019re just reactions to our thoughts and experiences. We shouldn\u2019t bottle them up, but rather talk about them. That way our thoughts can be questioned, new interpretations explored, and emotions normalised. Sometimes our thoughts are so rigid and ingrained in our way of being that we can\u2019t get rid of them without professional help. We shouldn\u2019t be ashamed of seeking it.<\/p>\n But even if we seek professional help, we shouldn\u2019t forget that God cares about us and is fully aware of our temporal needs.<\/p>\n \u201cFor your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble\u201d (Matt. 6:32-34).<\/p>\n We should focus our thoughts on the good things in life, the true and honourable. Focus on the Word, who came into this world to make it better. To heal and to comfort. To give a hopeful future.<\/p>\n He assures us: \u201cFear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand\u201d (Isa. 41:10). This article was first published on the Adventist Review website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
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1. All Bible texts are from the New King James Version. Copyright \u00a9 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.<\/span>
2. Lisa Feldman Barrett, How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, Kindle edition (New York: Harcourt Mifflin Harcourt Pub., 2017).<\/span>
3. See Emily A. Holmes et al., \u201cMultidisciplinary Research Priorities for the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call for Action for Mental Health Science,\u201d The Lancet Psychiatry, April 2020<\/span>.<\/p>\n
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