Why do our emotions have to lie to us? I've known for quite some time that our emotions are a gauge of sorts on our control panels of life. If we're feeling bad, then we aren't living the way we need or want to. If we are feeling good then we are on the right track. But sometimes our gauges read like my gas gauge when I first get into my car.... false.If I didn't know that I had to turn on or start my car for the gas gauge to read correctly, I might have a panic attack when I first get in. The false reading of empty would scare anyone who didn't know any better. But I know that once I've done what I'm supposed to do (start the car), the indicator on the gauge will move; it will give me a completely different and much more accurate picture of my situation. Behold, I actually have a full tank! The same seems to hold true for our emotions. That feeling of joy at the prospect of eating that huge piece of chocolate cake is ALWAYS replaced with a feeling of guilt and misery directly after consumption. And it's those horrible feelings that stay with you. The feeling of joy is GONE as soon as the cake is gone. Or what about exercise? The feeling of dread that you feel before doing your 30 minutes of cardio is ALWAYS quickly replaced with feelings of elation, accomplishment and pride. Those feelings also stay with you long after the exercise is complete. Why the heck do our emotions have to lie to us in the first place? What exactly does that serve?
That is an honest question that I don't have the answer for (right now), but I DO KNOW that there are people in this world who have consciously or unconsciously figured out the old gauge trick and don't even bother looking at their gas gauges until AFTER they've started their car; the people who pass on the cake and get right to the feeling good and who get right to the gym to feel that elation, accomplishment and pride. Clearly these people learned that our emotions lie until, they too, are trained to be fit. Time for me to get back to conditioning my gauge... wow that sounded bad!
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