We tend to think that a person in good mental health should experience a minimum of the negative feelings of Anxiety, Depression and Anger. That is, for one who is mentally well these 3 Emotions should be at very low levels, or even non-existent. If these negative Emotions were to be expressed in percent form, we can say we believe that in normal people these 3 Emotions should ideally be at zero %. To this end we are advised to try to reduce Anxiety and Depression, as well as Angry feelings, as much as possible by taking medical remedies or pharmaceuticals. Or, we might try non-medical strategies such as exercise, relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, affirmations, yoga, listening to calming music or audiotapes, and so on. We are also advised to adopt a positive outlook on life as per positive psychology, and many researchers have turned to pursuing the ‘science of happiness’. However realistically, especially for psychological problems that are more persistent or serious, we soon find that these strategies for coping with excess negative feelings are of little help and often fail us.
To understand the way that human Emotions really work, DOLIF psychology suggests we look at our negative Emotions of Anxiety, Depression and Anger as separate entities, each one operating on a scale of its own that ranges from 1 to 100. This way we can rate a person’s Anxiety as falling in the range between 1 and 100. The same would be true for Depression and Anger. So on a scale of 1 to 100, how much Anxiety should a normal person feel? Should it be 20, 50 or 80%? How would you rate your own level of Anxiety? How about Depression and Anger?
Now try to imagine how a healthy person would function if they only had a score of zero on each scale, meaning that the person would never feel Angry, Depressed or Anxious. One might argue that this could leave them free to experience positive feelings such as happiness, peace or LOVE. But we all know that everybody experiences Anger, Depression and Anxiety, and that all these feelings are a necessary part of the natural life of every person. So in this sense, 0 Anxiety is NOT realistic and NOT a true reflection of a person’s actual life experience, and NOR is 0% Depression or Anger. So we can ask: How much of each of these uncomfortable negative feelings should a normal, mentally healthy person have?
Begin by imagining someone who is functioning at an Anxiety level of zero. Nothing would move them. They would be very plain and bland and there would be little or no expression on their face. They might hardly seem to be functioning, and even be in a somewhat comatose or sleep state. They would have minimal motivation or interest in the normal activities of life and there would barely be any reason for them to wake up or have a sense of purpose. On a social level, they would have almost no appeal to others because their Emotions would be flat and uninteresting.
So we might say that, on a scale of 1 to 100, a normal person should maintain a level of at least 40 to 50% Anxiety. At this level they would be awake and alert enough to operate normally and respond appropriately to daily life events. However, compared with the average person, we can imagine that they would still seem slow and lethargic. Better yet, if the person is functioning with between 50 and 60%, they would be feeling quite perky and well since, as we know, life is full of surprises. They would have enough Anxiety to draw on should they encounter a slightly Anxiety-provoking situation, such as attending a meeting with their boss or joining a social gathering. If they are enjoying a pleasant walk in the park and a dog unexpectedly barks at them, or if they are suddenly startled by an auto horn, they might experience a quick peak in the 70-80% zone, but this would be only temporary and we would expect them to quickly settle back down to around 50%. If that person comes upon an unfamiliar or uncomfortable social gathering or needs to speak in a public place, we could assume that their Anxiety might reach up to 80% for a short while. It could even be pushed to 90 or 100%, say for example if they are threatened or face a serious fight. But once those threats or discomforts are gone, they should relax and return to their comfortable, normal 50-60% range.
However, if one’s chronic state of Anxiety rises to 75 or 80% and stays there, we might start to worry as it would surely become disagreeable and cause problems for themselves and others. We could expect that they might begin to display symptoms such as loss of sleep, nervous stomach, rash, headaches, feeling jittery and such, and even come to the edge of needing help to manage it. Once they reach 80%, they would probably begin to experience difficulty functioning, and become a suitable candidate for treatment such as therapy or medication.
So, we might say that when Anxiety is at 80% or more, and stays there for prolonged periods of time, people become compromised in major ways. At this stage they may develop diagnosable disorders such as fears or phobias, nightmares, OCD or hyperactivity that makes it impossible to sit still or learn, as in ADHD. These symptoms are descriptive of a person who is functioning under high levels of Anxiety that may be acute or short term, but can also become chronic and last long term. The high level of Anxiety may also spark Depressive or Angry reactions in combination with the original Anxiety. As explained in other contexts, when negative Emotion is turned inward and targets the SELF, people show symptoms of Depression+Anxiety leading to SELF-destructive behavior such as undereating, overeating, over-exercising, drinking, taking drugs, hurting themselves or smoking too much to relieve tension. On the other hand they may turn their negative Emotions outward onto others and combine the original Anxiety with Anger to display behavioral aggression toward others through temper tantrums, blaming others for their discontent, scowling, picking fights, rebelling against parents or society, telling lies or tall tales to elevate their social status, etc.
Continued in the blogs titled: Emotions As Percentages – Depression, and Emotions As Percentages – Anger
