Emotions Help Us Meet Needs

Everyone has different needs, which Maslow really explains with his pyramid. Some of our needs are basic, such as food and security, while others have to do with relationships, such as love and recognition. Emotions help us meet needs as they help us to survive  by knowing the difference between a good and a bad situation.

They also encourage us to relate to and communicate with others. They are like our  regular friends we can take on vacation. But we can also sometimes get annoyed with our emotions, so we should learn to control them to achieve a better inner balance.

We live and communicate thanks to our emotions

Emotions are necessary for our survival; one of the primary functions is to prepare ourselves physically for action. Many animals show very effective emotional behavior, which means that there are certain emotions that help us to immediate action. It may be the first way emotions help us to meet our needs.

For example, if you are afraid to see a snake,  your body will react before you even think about whether it is poisonous or not. 

In this case, your heart rate will increase to send more blood out to the muscles so you can escape any danger. That way, instead of wasting precious time thinking, you act if you need to get away quickly from a situation.

Your emotions tell others how you perceive and interpret internal and external stimuli. This is generally not communicated linguistically. This type of communication is faster, more natural and more intuitive than verbal communication. This means that even if it is not your opinion, your emotions affect other people.

Emotions guide us  as they give us valuable information about any situation. They can help you know if you like a situation or not. That way,  depending on how you feel, you will either repeat the experience or avoid it in the future. They act as an internal compass that helps us orient ourselves and know what is important.

Emotions help us meet our needs

No emotion is either positive or negative; some just turn out to be good (like joy), and others less good (like sorrow or anger). Every single emotion has a purpose – they are all valid and necessary. They are our travel companions; they follow you through everything and tell you what to do. Let’s look at some examples:

• Anger:  We feel anger in unjust situations; perhaps in moments when we feel that our rights are not being respected. We need to set boundaries and protect ourselves.

• Grief:  We feel sad when we lose a person, thing, job, etc.
• Fear:  We experience fear when faced with a dangerous situation. We need to feel protected and secure.
• Joy:  Good experiences, victories, success at work or at school, etc. give us joy. We often want to share this feeling with others.

If you did not feel angry, would you protect yourself? If you were never sad, then you would know how to react to loss? How would you know you were facing a danger if it were not for fear? Would you know what makes you happy if you could not feel joy? Your emotions are there for a reason – let them show you the way!

4 strategies for regulating emotions

While it’s okay to let them guide you, make sure they do it right. Do not let yourself be carried away by impulses, but take your thoughts for granted.

You should not be overwhelmed by emotions without having your head in the right place. That is why it is so important to learn how to handle them properly. The following four strategies can help you regulate them:

Identify

It will definitely help you manage them if you are aware of the feeling you are feeling. Knowing the difference between, for example, grief and anger, and being able to separate the specific situation from the thought that evoked the feeling, means that you can act correctly.

Being aware of your own feelings can help you identify them and become more empathetic.

Tolerance

Although there are emotions we perceive as negative, such as sadness and anger, it is important to learn to tolerate them instead of hiding them away. Emotions come and go – it’s a process. Being sad right now does not mean that you will be sad forever or that you are a sad person.

Do not try to block or suppress your emotions; listen to them, feel them and learn to deal with them  in order to use them to meet needs.

Self-regulation

We are all capable of self-regulation. Do not just wait for the feeling to disappear – do something about it! Do your best to get a negative thought out of your head, and focus on the positive. Distract yourself or do something you like to lower the intensity of your emotions.

Work with yourself and learn to control your impulses. That way, you take care of yourself while improving your well-being.

Express yourself and communicate

In addition to having your own resources, you should also express your feelings towards the people around you. Emotions need to be shared. Trust others and tell them how you feel and what you need. It’s the only way you can meet needs with emotions.

In summary, emotions can help us meet our needs and guide us toward the right behaviors. They are incredibly valuable as they enable us to survive and communicate with other people.

First we feel our emotions, and then we decide what to do with them, making us responsible for our own actions. Let us be logical with our feelings and thoughts so that we can express them with confidence.