Emotional Thesis Journey

to describe ones long, emotionally driven, tedious journey in compiling, researching and writing a PhD thesis over many years.

acronym : ETJ
PhD student : After 10 long years of blood, sweat and tears and 79,872 words later I have come to an end of this emotional thesis journey.

by anonymous July 7, 2021

Emotional Combat

The unyielding struggle and endurance of inner battles and hardships.

Shoutout to everyone quietly winning their emotional combat while the world thinks they're just 'quiet'.

by cndrellaman January 26, 2026

Theory of Constructed Emotions

The neuroscience-backed model, primarily associated with Lisa Feldman Barrett, which argues that emotions are not hardwired, universal programs (like "anger circuits") triggered by the world. Instead, they are real-time, whole-brain constructions. Your brain uses past experiences (concepts) to make meaning of incoming sensory data and internal bodily signals (arousal), creating an instance of "anger," "fear," or "awe" that is tailored to the specific context. Emotions aren't reactions you have; they are guesses your brain makes to keep you alive, and they vary wildly by culture and individual.

Example: "After learning the Theory of Constructed Emotions, she reframed her 'anxiety.' That churning stomach and racing heart before a presentation wasn't 'anxiety' invading her; it was her brain, using the concept of 'anxiety,' constructing a helpful state of high alert. She started calling it 'energized focus.' It didn't make it pleasant, but it made it feel less like a broken reaction."

by Dumu The Void January 30, 2026