Thursday, September 11, 2008

In Just One Day


Have you ever stopped to consider how many emotions/feelings you experience in a day? It’s mind-boggling. No wonder we don’t pause and do this very often – it can make you dizzy.

Yesterday’s tally:

(not necessarily in order of appearance)

joy
fear
delight
doubt
irritation
happiness
anger
wonder
relief
sadness
gratitude
regret
envy
surprise
guilt
compassion
disgust
admiration
pride
impatience
awe
bewilderment
sympathy
…and, of course, love


All that and probably more in just one day!

(Two of the seven deadly sins are in there but I don’t care.)

We human beings are amazing creatures.

19 comments:

Patti said...

I never thought to do this. I think I have to try on a day when I'm not teaching a bunch of kids to read, write, and do math....

oreneta said...

I would be afraid to truly catalog this. Worried I'd end up with a balance of negative, though I guess you would have to time them as well, so the fleeting emotions are not weighted the same as the more enduring ones, to speak nothing of basic emotional outlook, that can and does change over time, but is a longerlasting, lowlevel presence. Hmmmm, fascinating.

Sherry said...

What a reflective post and one that is truly "perfect" because we are human and we do experience such a range of emotion in a 24 hour period...even those 7 deadly sins...does this include the sin of leaving less money than the bill??? Does it include hilarious laughter?!?! :)

The Author Of This said...

No lust?? Can't beat a bit of lust. Especially first thing in the morning!

Beth said...

patti:
A teaching day might make for a very long list - starting with frustrating and including rewarding?

oreneta:
Timing certainly counts. And as long as the positives are experienced, occasional negatives are okay.
(I love how you really thought about this...)

sherry:
Your sleight of hand (resulting in leaving a $5 plus change for the bill) falls under disobeying one of the Ten Commandments - Thou Shall Not Steal. (Nice try, though...)
And hilarious laughter is never a sin!

amc:
So now we know how you began your day! Thanks for sharing...

contemporary themes said...

That's quite a list. I'm often struck by our ability to feel conflicting emotions simultaneously. I can feel pure joy and delight and anxiety and sadness all at once. The problem is that I'm usually very aware of my emotions. Okay, I'm always AWARE, and it is exhausting. But feeling things so keenly does make me know that I am ALIVE and not DEAD! So, that's good.

I'm with Patti. In any given teaching day, the variety of emotions I experience is VAST. But laughter and joy wins out MOST of the time. You can't hang out with teenagers and not laugh a whole helluva lot!

Angel said...

WOW!!!! What a day you had!!!

Princess Pointful said...

Phew.
I kind of want to know the context behind that flurry of emotions!!

The Author Of This said...

Marmite lovin' is just my "thing" ok! It's great on toast. I don't see any harm in it!

Anonymous said...

Oh boy. I think I could come up with that many emotions for one HOUR, never mind a day. Hmmmm....I wonder what that says about me...

Anonymous said...

i get annoyed a lot,
especially when i'm driving.
but yeah, it's amazing the
range of emotions and feelings
we have in a day. I'll pay attention, because i'd hate for
annoying to be an all-day habit.

Beth said...

she:
Re: conflicting emotions - always a great moment when someone can turn your tears to smiles and laughter.

beth:
Same old, same old... ;)

princess pointful:
Actually, it was a fairly ordinary day. Try it - see what you come up with. (Or I'm bordering on manic-depressive here.)

amc:
Whatever floats your boat, pal...

kia:
It says you're alive! (And, hopefully, functioning.)

seraphine:
Cut down on the driving??

Charlotta-love said...

If I were to do this, I'm sure I would get depressed for feeling upset. Then sad for feeling depressed. Then upset for feeling sad. ...you get the point.

I have done this with blessings I saw in my life and that left me feeling high. :o)

Anonymous said...

Oh my word.

No wonder we are all so exhausted at the end of the day.

Anonymous said...

i'd prefer to "cut down" on the other drivers. :P
oo. annoyed and selfish, my first two emotional feelings of the day.
and love your blog. that's three feelings!
annoyed, selfish, love: a menage a trois.
i'm fulfilled.

Anonymous said...

Beth,
This is a great list and post. I never thought about this, but you are so right. Our brain is always processing so many different feelings/emotions and sometimes it seems at lightening speed. No wonder I'm begining to think I have ADHD.(LOL)
Actually, I think this speaks to how resilisent the mind is. Amazing.

XXXX

Barrie said...

No wonder I'm exhausted at the end of the day!

Shari said...

Great graphic choice!!

How ture. We are an emotional bunch, aren't we? I'm sure I felt all the emotions you listed just about every day.

Great post, too. I never would have thought of it.

Cipriano said...

Beth, not that anyone asked or anything but here is a listing of MOPE [My Own Personal Emotions], beginning at 7 a.m. today....

Anger [at the alarm clock]
Love [for my cat Jack, lying near me]
Pressure [Gas, from last night's pizza, and quickly relieved, I might add... much to Jack's immediate horror...]
Anger [because I have to go to work]
Lust [in the shower... that's all I will say...]
Joy [in the form of ham and eggs and toast]
Anger [because now I'm at work]
Profound Joy [because work is now over]
Coffee At Starbucks [I count "Coffee At Starbucks" as a distinct emotion, yes.]
Drunkness [Drank beer instead of eating supper]
Profound Unconsciousness / Beer-Induced Non-Buddhist-Approved State of Nirvana