A Deeper Look Into Emotional Concepts in Language feat. Sim Van Daele

Expanding on a concept to help you better express yourself

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! On Tuesday May 14, 2024, we put out an article that listed some of my favorite words that simply do not exist in English. That was to preface this article which will discuss precisely how learning these new terms can impact your perception. One of the most frustrating things in the world when learning a new language is being unable to adequately express oneself. That feeling is even worse when it feels like you can’t truly express yourself in your native language. With that, here is an introduction to the concept on a deeper level from

Sim Van Daele

.

1. TO PROTECT AND SERVE

One of the functions of emotion is to protect us from harm. When the environment is perceived as unsafe, we can expect protective measures. In essence, that is what the sympathetic nervous system is for. to protect ourselves from harm we Fight, Flight, or Freeze. Fight = anger. Flight = avoidance. Freeze = emotional shutdown. Therefore, by regulating ourselves we can signal that the environment is safe, and we don't need to protect ourselves.

Otherwise, this becomes a self-enforcing feedback loop. The exercise then is to be aware of when these protective measures are initiated. And to actively feel what we are feeling, letting it be okay that we do so. The second part of the exercise is thus to allow and accept so that we get the signal it is safe to express and feel our emotions. Physically taking a step back, or pausing to breathe helps create the space for the signal of safety.

We mustn’t judge ourselves or attribute a negative value, but rather acknowledge that all that is trying to happen is that the nervous system is attempting to act in our best interest to protect us. Also: express gratitude towards these protectors, they’ve served an important function in keeping you safe.

2. EMOTIONAL GRANULARITY

Emotions come in a spectrum and gradations, there are a lot of different “shades” of anger, sadness, etc. In order to classify and categorize the emotion, we must first become aware of what it is precisely that we are feeling.

3. RELEASE

Psychosomatically, a lot of emotion can stay " stuck" or trapped in the tissues. The nervous system works with tension (on a neuromuscular level). When we've had to protect ourselves or prepare to run/flee, these muscles get tight to prime for either impact or explosive moment.

When the moment passes and we don't actively deal with this tension, it is " stored" in the tissue. Connective tissue like fascia holds a lot of these stored emotions, and so do organs (as nerves and connective tissue are connected to them).

That's why a physical release of muscles, connective tissue, and fascia is an enormous help. There are various means: for this Stretching Shaking Foam rolling Massages Bio energetics typically the tightest areas hold the most stored emotional tension

4. OUTLET

An outlet is different from a release in the sense that with release We're looking at it physically, whereas an outlet is an expression the emotion. The outlet is a bit of a double-edged blade because we can't always scream in frustration or anger, cry out of sadness, or howl in fear. However, we should have a space where we let these things out of us. I've listed several possibilities. The suppression of these just keeps them stuck in the system.

Howl Scream Cry Punch/hit/stomp Throw/smash Bodywork (cliff kaizen project)

5. TRANSMUTATION

We can transmute our emotions into constructive behaviors: anger into action, frustration into drive, sadness into art. This is essentially the channeling aspect (which is then technically also an outlet). This also has its place in using emotions for something. Something like anxiousness/anxiety & excitement are typically calls to action: that a change of behavior is needed, something needs to be done. We can thus view emotion out of the lens of function and calls to action.

For anger & Frustration Sparring Sprints Sled Push to failure Carries to failure For sadness: writing music poetry

6. EMBODIMENT

This is by far the hardest one. In essence, it is where we just fully feel these emotions without having to do anything. Without a release, outlet, or channel, without attributing value judgments, without trying to suppress or hide away from it.

This requires a higher level of willingness, understanding acceptance, and an acknowledgment this will be or feel uncomfortable and even painful. The latter is why so many people don't. They find the pain uncomfortable and seek to escape it.

Sit and feel “GOD TIER”, You need to feel to heal

Emotional capacity is a SKILL.

7. IDENTITY UNCOUPLING

The other tendency is to self-identify with emotion. As evidence of our language use around our emotions, we say: I am angry. However, it is not a function of who we are. It is something we feel, not something we are. Tus the verbiage (word use) should be. I feel this or that. Emotions like thoughts are transient. meaning they come and go. They change in intensity, frequency, and duration.

We need to catch ourselves with our language and whether or not we identify with an emotion or an emotional state. Emotions are part of us, but we are not them. We have emotions, we have states, we have feelings, etc.

Learning a new language offers you a way to implement all of these while simultaneously building your competencies. This is where you can really challenge yourself while also ensuring you are focusing on things you will actually use. It can be hard to feel confident when you cannot truly express yourself, whether that is in your first, second, third, or fourth language. There are some things you can do to help yourself progress to a point where you can express anything you want to at any time to any person.

Language exercises to better express yourself

Journaling is probably the easiest activity to add into your daily language learning routine. Writing is one of the ways to embody these new words and concepts you are learning, but writing your personal story will inevitably teach you how to express yourself. The problem is you will be far from perfect the first time you do it. Most people give up on things that are not immediately easy for them.

Even if you start with two or three sentences, at least you will have started. It will be weeks before you really start to feel any progress, but if you start by writing you will always be able to go back to the beginning and see just how far you’ve come. Reading the things you write aloud will help you in not only learning to speak the way you think, but also to expose some of your mistakes.

It is incredible how many people can catch their own mistakes when they speak the things they write aloud. I have seen it countless time and I think you will experience the same thing if you give it a try. If you are struggling to come up with ideas for things to write about, pick out a few articles that discuss things you are interested in and try to summarize them. Being able to summarize things accurately is a skill and the sooner you develop it the better.

Keep a thesaurus

Generally speaking, most people will never really use a thesaurus in their native language, let alone their target languages. However, they are extremely useful for anyone who is learning a new language. If you missed our piece on synonyms, be sure to check it out here:

Hand in hand with synonyms will be your antonyms and finding ways to get more vocabulary into your daily life. At first learning tons and tons of vocabulary will feel overwhelming, but over time you will notice that because of all the work you put in up front, things are moving smoother later down the line. The last thing you want is to feel that inability to express yourself manifest itself in front of native speakers.

Aside from sitting down and writing down words in a notebook, reading books that are above your purported language “level” will force you into contact with complex grammar and vocabulary words. Seeing how they are used in context will give you ways to remember new things you come across. Every time you come across a new concept your next goal should be finding ways to use it in your own creations whether that is speaking or writing.

Conclusion

Learning a new language can teach you more about yourself than you may think. At the end of the day, there are some concepts that are simply easier to express in other languages and without expanding into those arenas you may struggle indefinitely to adequately express yourself. Becoming aware of your emotions and their effects on your life is vital for your progression through life. However, it can be difficult to grasp this idea since so many people struggle expressing themselves well into adulthood, even in their native language.

While I can always help with the language portion of these exercises,

Sim Van Daele

laid out a solid framework for anyone who is looking for ways to expand their emotional competencies alongside their linguistic skills. Language shapes perception and the more you learn about both your native language and your target language the more you will learn about yourself. It just so happens that working on these things together is mutually beneficial.

As we discuss often around here, creating is vital in second language acquisition. Speaking and practicing with written language will help you in accelerating and enhancing your language learning process, so start having conversations as early on as possible. It will be difficult, but you can do difficult things and be great. So go do some difficult things and become great.

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