You might not have realized it yet, but there is a scientific term for your 'anecdotal' state of being: Existential feelings. The 'anecdotal state' of your body is a combination of sensory information, breathing, and mental activity. Become fully aware of each of these factors to understand what they do to your overall well-being.
Existential feelings describe the 'anecdotal' state of the body
The term "existential feelings" has many definitions. One is the anecdotal state of the body; another is the psychological experience of suffering. Both of these terms refer to feelings based on experience. Existential feelings were first studied by psychologists in the 1940s. Frankl and Rollo May both suffered from tuberculosis and witnessed how some people died while others lived. The term emerged after the two men's experiences in Nazi concentration camps.
Sensory information affects how you feel
Our sense of touch makes us aware of temperature, pressure, vibration, and body position. The sense of touch is comprised of a multitude of nerve endings in various parts of the body. Some receptors in the skin provide information about internal organs. Our brain interprets the type of sensation and its intensity to judge its pleasantness, unpleasantness, or neutrality. Moreover, it can be used to assess how much a particular stimulus will hurt us.
The process of sensory processing involves the conversion of stimuli into neural impulses that the brain uses for interpretation. It is this process that leads to the organization and conscious experience of sensory information. However, not everything we sense is perceived. A novel example of this is how the intensity of an object changes as we focus on another area. Likewise, we may not be aware of things around us if our attention is focused elsewhere.
Breathing affects how you feel
We all know that the state of our bodies can influence how we feel. For instance, when we smile, our brains respond by making us feel better. The same thing happens when we hold our breath. When we are afraid or in a crisis, we might over-breathe. But how do we control the speed at which we breathe? Here are some tips to control your breathing in stressful situations. Try them out to change your life.
Deep breathing helps us regulate our feelings. Deep breathing activates our parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers our heart rate and blood pressure. Shallow breathing, on the other hand, activates our sympathetic nervous system, which activates the stress response. Therefore, breathing deeply can help us feel more calm. And breathing attention can help us avoid disturbing thoughts. When we are in the right mood, our body responds positively to our breathing.
