When I feel vital, I feel connected to life, the energy of life. Now, life could be many things: a specific project, the manner of living, tissue/organs, a specific relationship, or the secret life inside you. When was the last time you felt vibrantly alive and thought to yourself, “I’m feeling vital?” What is the difference between feeling vibrant and vital?

I’m full of questions today. When I compare definitions of the two, vibrant refers to energy or activity, whereas vital has more to do with life sustenance. A subtle difference, but hey, we’re building our emotional vocabulary! Some would even say feeling vital is about feeling alive or important. Oh, there are so many ways to interpret feeling vital.

When I feel vital, I feel energetic, for sure. I also feel connected to life, like I’m an important component of life. Not like the world would not survive without me, but I feel connected to it. When I go to the doctor and they check my ‘vitals’, there is a context of the things required for me to be on the north side of the daisies. Here, though, I’m talking more about feeling vitally connected to a community, to relationships, to the heartbeat of the world around me. Connected to life.

In how emotions function on our behalf, vitality helps us understand what it means to feel alive. That sounds kind of ‘duh’, but feeling vital and connected keeps us coming back for more, doesn’t it? Perhaps the function of feeling vital is part of what keeps us living to experience another day. Aren’t you glad we get new days to try new things, or feel differently, or spring forth into a new adventure?

Vital is a nice emotion to keep in our library of feelings. When I feel disconnected, I enjoy pulling vitality off the shelf to remember how connected I am. What’s going on with you? What does it mean for you to feel vital?

Emotions are the heartbeats of our souls…

If you would like to explore more feelings in the Stayin’ in Touch – Positive Emotions book, click here for more information.

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