Can You Trust Your Emotions?

Common belief: You should always trust your emotions.
Common belief: Feelings are irrational and can’t be trusted.

So, which is it?

They’re both wrong.

Emotions aren’t inherently right or wrong. They are your body’s response to what you are thinking—whether you’re thinking consciously or unconsciously. That’s right: thoughts create emotions. Your belief systems and unconscious patterns are often running on autopilot, leading to emotions that feel random or hard to explain.

Understanding Where Emotions Come From

Let’s say there’s something you want, but don’t have. You might assume your unhappiness comes from lacking that thing—but it doesn’t. You’re unhappy because you think about not having it.

• Have you ever been happy even without it?

• If you didn’t care about having it, would you still feel bad?

• If you were distracted by something fun (like a rollercoaster), would the lack of it still upset you?

It’s not the absence of what you want—it’s your thoughts about it that trigger the emotion. Thoughts create emotions, not circumstances.