Emotions, Feelings, and Moods, Oh My

Emotions, feelings, and moods are words that we use in everyday life without pausing to wonder if they are different or interchangeable. Is there really a difference between an emotion or feeling, and isn’t a mood just how you feel? We use phrases and questions such as: ‘How are you feeling?  What are you feeling? You seem emotional. Wow, you are in a mood. You are in a good mood - a bad mood. How did that feel? Were you emotional?’ That’s a lot of questions and statements.

Having a better understanding of each word may give us clarity on how to recognize and manage our emotions, feelings, and moods. Here is a brief breakdown of each term.

Emotions, at the core, are a chemical response to our environment. Emotions do not take place just in our brain but are released and impact our whole body. This is why many people will physically feel an emotion before they are even able to acknowledge or name the emotion.

Feelings emerge when our brains begin to interpret and think about the emotion. Feelings can be felt as well as processed. How we engage with emotions is very personal and individualized, which is why people can have very different ‘feelings’ about the same event. Feelings help us pay attention to our environment and give us the opportunity to be present and connected.

Moods result in a mixture of emotions and feelings that are also influenced by our environment. For example, we can be in a bad mood if we are hungry, scared, or tired. Moods are also influenced by how we process and work through our emotions and feelings. For example, if we need to ‘push through’ a feeling, we may be in an anxious mood. Moods can last minutes, hours, days, or even longer if we do not make concrete decisions to change or attend to our mood.  

Having a better understanding of the difference between emotions, feelings, and moods hopefully will give us more choices and opportunities to engage with what is happening in our mind and body. Increasing our awareness and educating ourselves about our emotions and feelings can positively affect our moods. Pause throughout today and ask yourself what emotions you have experienced, as well as what you feel about the day and if you have noticed any mood changes.

— Tracy Paulino, Licensed Mental Health Counselor