On the path of spiritual growth, you change, your reactions change, and your attitude toward many things changes.
You become more balanced, calm, and harmonious. You yourself probably notice that you no longer react as emotionally to external events, people, and their actions.
This can create a feeling, both for you and for your loved ones, that you have become somehow indifferent, callous. Perhaps someone has even faced such an accusation.
Let’s figure out what insensitivity and emotionlessness really are, and how indifference and callousness differ from balance.
Insensitivity and emotionlessness. Are there differences between them
Emotionlessness can be called a state when you have a balanced emotional background. You are internally balanced, in an even state.
Looking from the outside, someone might think you are indifferent to everything or even callous, because your reactions lack a bright emotional coloring.
This is because in our society, it is considered normal for a person to react emotionally to external events.
You were offended — you got angry, a tragedy occurred — you sob, something happened to a loved one or acquaintance — you sympathized. And this sympathy must be expressed outwardly: through sadness, suffering, sometimes even by depriving yourself of certain pleasures or joy. After all, there is grief over there, and here I am rejoicing. That’s somehow improper.
Insensitivity, according to official sources, is emotional dullness, lack of sensitivity, lack of compassion.
There are people who, despite all their desire, are incapable of experiencing feelings. But this is more of an innate deficiency.
Spiritual evolution, on the contrary, involves the development of sensitivity and deep feeling. It is the stage when you move from emotions to the level of feelings. This is the opposite polarity of insensitivity.
See also Why it’s so hard to be yourself and how to convey your truth
How the emotional state changes on the path of spiritual growth
Changes in the emotional state are inevitable in the process of spiritual growth if you apply the practices and knowledge you have gained in life, in everyday situations.
You learn to balance your inner state, work with triggers, and your reactions change.
A storm of emotions is replaced by deep feeling. You begin to feel. And feelings are not equal to emotions. Feelings may not manifest as brightly outwardly as emotions do.
It is no longer so easy to get you riled up. You can react completely calmly to someone’s “attacks,” whereas before you would have exploded. And because of this, your environment may accuse you of insensitivity.
Where before you would have reacted to a tragic story as people usually do: “Oh, really! How could that be!” with all that entails, now you show empathy on a deeper level.
You sympathize, but not in the literal sense; rather, you understand what the person is feeling and are ready to support them. At the same time, this may be unnoticeable outwardly, and you risk being misunderstood.
See also Emotional immaturity. How to move from emotions to feelings
What are indifference and callousness
According to Wikipedia, indifference is a passive attitude towards one’s surroundings and events, while callousness is soullessness and harshness towards someone.
Can a person with an open heart, who accepts and respects the expressions of others even if they don’t understand them, be called callous?
The fact that you don’t throw a hysterical fit over a negative situation that has occurred does not make you detached or indifferent.
You maintain equilibrium and balance, knowing that only in such a state can you find a way out, help a person with concrete actions, or at least simply offer support.
Meanwhile, you are overflowing with feelings inside.
How to understand what you are feeling
To recognize your feelings, maintain a connection with your soul and keep your heart open. This way, you will never be mistaken about what you truly feel.
Give your feelings names, label what you are feeling: “I feel peace, I feel warmth, gratitude.”
To make it easier for your loved ones to understand you, talk about your feelings for them and about what you are feeling. Whenever possible, express your feelings.
See also: How to use a period when you are filled with energy
Do you know how to recognize your feelings? Have you encountered misunderstanding from loved ones regarding your balanced state?
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