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Thoughts, Emotions, and Feelings. who controls who?

I am not who you think I am; I am not who I think I am; I am who I think you think I am.  Charls Horton cooley

What is it about thoughts, feelings, and emotions that make us in constant  war within ourselves?

Even if  you want to make sense out of them you need to use one of them, and that by itself creates more confusion than ever before you start to decipher the complex web of the inner SELF.

How can you make sense out of something that doesn't make sense? Even more, how do you make sense?

Well, the way I see it is, if for some strange reason (only you can comprehend), anything you perceive does  makes sense to you it doesn't necessarily have to make sense to anyone else .


The relationship between thoughts, emotions, and feelings is complex and interconnected, with each influencing the others in various ways. Here’s a brief overview of how they interact and which might control which:


1. **Thoughts**: These are the cognitive processes that involve reasoning, analysis, and decision-making. Thoughts can shape emotions by interpreting or giving meaning to situations. For example, if you think, "I might fail this exam," it could trigger feelings of anxiety or fear.


2. **Emotions**: These are more automatic, physiological responses to stimuli. Emotions often arise before conscious thoughts and can influence the way you think. For instance, if you feel angry, your thoughts might become more critical or defensive.


3. **Feelings**: Feelings are the subjective experience of emotions. They are how we consciously interpret our emotions, often shaped by our thoughts. For example, the emotion of sadness might be felt as melancholy or despair, depending on how you think about it.


### Who Controls Whom?

- **Thoughts can control emotions and feelings**: Through cognitive reappraisal or positive thinking, we can change how we feel about a situation. For example, reframing a failure as a learning experience can turn disappointment into determination.

  

- **Emotions can control thoughts**: Strong emotions like anger or fear can narrow our thinking, making us focus only on certain aspects of a situation, sometimes leading to irrational decisions.

  

- **Feelings are influenced by both**: Feelings are often the result of how our thoughts and emotions interact. Changing either can alter the feelings we experience.


In practice, it's often a dynamic loop where thoughts, emotions, and feelings continuously influence each other. Developing mindfulness and emotional intelligence can help you become more aware of this interplay and gain better control over how they affect each other.



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