I am often asked what my opinion is about the difference between feelings and emotions?
The main difference is stability, a feeling is stable for days, weeks, months or years and has an essentially positive connotation, despite there being negative feelings.
An emotion can last a few seconds, a few minutes or at most a few hours. They may or may not be positive.
Examples of feelings: Love, Compassion, Union, Hate, Peace, Happiness, Envy.
Emotions: Passion, Anger, Joy, Panic, Enthusiasm.
Feelings remain, and given their nature, they are passive and do not tire. Emotions are active, and they get tiring if they stay too long.
The natural state of the Human Being is stillness and silence, feelings are compatible with this state, emotions are not. It is also with this reference that it is distinguished whether it is positive or negative. Positive brings us closer to that state (or maintains it), negative takes it away.
We can only know what we feel when we are at peace. For example, a couple that is in constant turmoil (arguments) will not even realize the feelings that unite them. It's better to move away to find peace again and understand your feelings for the other.
Emotions are illusory, we should not see them as truths, and making decisions with emotions running high is a recipe for misfortune.Feelings and emotions mix, interact and feed off each other, which is why it is sometimes difficult to discern exactly what we are feeling. Passion feeds Love, and when Passion leaves, we realize what remains.
Feelings can be born from very strong emotions. And emotions can stifle feelings (it's one of the hidden reasons for arguments between people who love each other).
Photo by Nik on Unsplash