Let's get curious: How long does it take to feel an emotion?

What does feeling an emotion mean?

When we allow ourselves to feel an emotion, it means we are allowing the energy to pass through our system and complete its cycle. Think of a laugh, after a funny experience, we might laugh- this is the by-product of that experience in the form of energy which takes the shape, sound and sensation of what we recognise as a ‘laugh’. We don’t keep on laughing forever, once it has reached its peak, our laugh will begin to taper off and finally it stops altogether as it has completed itself.

How long does it take to feel an emotion?

On average, it’s only takes 90 seconds, but it can often feel a lot longer. This is because we can be keeping the story/experience that generated the emotion running in our head. This is what makes it feel like the emotion is persistent in us, and we can’t shift it, for example an angry state we can’t seem to get out of; we are looping the story in our head which prevents the emotional cycle to complete itself.

What does keeping emotionally regulated offer us?

Keeping emotionally regulated gives us the opportunity to show up in the world from a place of balance and more harmony. Safely feeling our emotions on a body level- the sensations of the emotions, is key in keeping regulated. Next time you are feeling resistance to an emotion, I invite you to feel into the emotion itself; focus on the sensations within your physical body, where do you feel it? How do you need to move your body? Do you need to make any sounds? Come out of your head and allow that energy to work its way through.