As humans, we can exhibit a wide range of emotions through our facial expressions. Scientific opinion as to how many ‘universal’ emotions we possess varies, but there is general agreement around the core 8 emotions of fear, anger, disgust, sadness, shame, surprise, joy and love. These can be further subdivided into secondary and tertiary emotions: for example, the primary emotion ‘anger’ might be made up of irritation, exasperation, rage and envy at the next level down, with irritation being formed of aggravation, agitation, annoyance, grouchiness, grumpiness and so on.

Whichever emotions you experience, accept that these are not in your control. The emotional centre of your brain, formed of your amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, operates subconsciously at speeds much faster than your logical-thinking brain. The emotions that they generate are intended to make you react quickly to the situation you find yourself in. It’s for your own survival.

Don’t beat yourself up for having emotions. Eggs are for beating. Accept your emotions. Accept yourself.

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