Emotions are the heart’s reaction to our thoughts. They can be divided into three main groups: thoughts of tranquility, thoughts of discomfort and neutral or mixed thoughts.
Emotions have the function of motivating the body to action and materialize our thoughts or desires.
Neutral or mixed thoughts are those that become neutral or mixed emotions such as calmness. They are neutral because neither situations of discomfort or danger nor those of ease or security prevail.
They can also be called mixed because, from a physiological point of view, they involve a perfect balance between the two ANS (autonomic nervous system): the orthosympathetic, which intervenes in situations of danger or discomfort, and the parasympathetic, which acts in situations of safety or calm.
3 types of thoughts
Mixed or neutral thoughts are characterized by light, silent and invisible breathing. They are preferable to thoughts of ease or security, which give rise to positive emotions, but also provoke an excitement of the heart, with breathing that is clearly visible and not surprisingly ephemeral. They are all the more preferable to thoughts of discomfort or danger, which give rise to negative emotions and agitation of the heart and body (chest and abdomen).
Calm and peace are neutral emotions and guarantee a perfect harmony between the heart that beats in silence and the mind that is perfectly clear.
I want to say that calm (or peace) is also superior to joy and all positive emotions because the latter provoke an excitement of the heart which, not without reason, is always ephemeral.
The mind communicates with the body only through the emotions that take place in the heart through the action of hormones and/or neurotransmitters in the blood and in the heart itself. Without emotions there are no results because the body does not move and only obeys its own impulses.
Thoughts already have within them the emotion into which they will be transformed in the heart and will take the same name: for example thoughts of fear, joy, calm, etc. (just like the seeds of plants).
“Thought is the first form of action, because in thinking we lay the foundation for what will be our impact on the world.”
Thich Nhat Hanhnone
Therefore, thought is (barring unforeseen circumstances) already emotion, action and result. It follows that the quality of our life depends on the quality of our thoughts.
To win our difficult game with life, the most important thing is to learn to become aware of our thoughts. To become aware quickly, we must step out of our comfort zone frequently and congratulate ourselves every time we realize that we have made a mistake, which requires attention and presence.
