Thoughts are ideas, opinions, attitudes and beliefs we have that could come from ourselves or are repeated via other people’s thoughts or the media.
Emotions are a feeling in our body which comes as a reaction to a thought and there is constant interplay going on between our thoughts and our emotions.
Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters and hormones are released when we feel emotions and these cause physical changes. Notice how your body changes next time you experience an emotion, like when you feel scared you tense up, your heart beats faster and your breathing shallows.
We also have instincts, which are gut reactions to external situations we find ourselves in. Instinctive behaviours are what we do without thinking in order to ensure our survival. They include eating, drinking, sleeping and defending ourselves.
