May 6, 2025 • 9 mins
In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling blissful - that state of being extremely happy or full of joy. The hosts discuss how bliss represents an intersection of joy and peace, emphasizing its qualities of contentment, presence, and serenity. They share personal experiences of bliss and offer insights on how to create conditions where this gentle yet profound emotion might naturally arise.
Episode Highlights:
This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
This episode is sponsored by
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/
Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform
Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay
This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
This episode is sponsored by
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/
Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform
Episode Highlights:
- Michelle describes bliss as the intersection of joy and peace - a feeling that's happy and good but also "very chill," without the overwhelming intensity of excitement
- Heather suggests that bliss cannot be chased down but rather requires creating conditions where it can "alight upon you," comparing it to a butterfly that lands when we create the right environment
- The hosts discuss the physical sensations associated with bliss, including the absence of tension in the body and a deep sense of presence or mindfulness
- Heather shares her personal bliss experience of floating on a raft in a river with the sun warming her and her fingertips trailing in cold water - a memory she uses as a meditation when needed
- Michelle reveals how small, everyday moments can trigger bliss, describing how the rainbows created by prisms hanging in her apartment windows still make her giggle with delight even after three years
This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
This episode is sponsored by
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/
Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform
Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay
This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.
This episode is sponsored by
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/
Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Do you have trouble talking about your feelings.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You're not alone.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
It's a topic that can make even.
Speaker 4 (00:09):
The most powerful people somewhat squeamish.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
You're listening to Feelings Matter, where our mission is to
demystify everything about emotions so that we can all get
more comfortable in talking about them. Joining Heather, Tina and
Michelle as we unpack a new angle on emotions and
the psychology of human nature.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Feelings Matter. Welcome to Feelings Matter.
Speaker 5 (00:49):
I'm Michelstonson Ross, and I'm Tena Schweiger and I'm Heather Hampton.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
How about we talk about the feeling of bliss feeling
blissful and on my card anyway, the definition of blissful.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Is that feeling of extremely happy or full of joy.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
And I want to describe this for the listening audience.
So the visual representation of blissful is a puffy, little
white cloud with rainbow reflections on it. It's got a
great big smile on its face.
Speaker 6 (01:34):
There's just this.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Both lightness of form as well as lightness of color
that goes along with the image of blissful that really
resonates for me, because when I think about bliss in particular,
it's for me, the intersection of joy and peace. It's happy,
(02:01):
it's good, it's joyful, but it's also very chill in
my experience that there's this combination of I just feel
good right now. I don't feel intensely overwhelmed by like
excitement or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
What I feel when I'm blissful is just this, Ah,
I feel really great.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Right now, And that's what I think of when I
think of blissful. So some of the questions that you
can ask yourself to just contemplate the feeling of bliss.
Do you feel a deep sense of joy and contentment
that permeates your overall mood? So contentment is another one
of those words that I associate.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
With that peaceful aspect of bliss. Do you feel strong
connection to the present moment, fully appreciating the beauty.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
And goodness around you? Are you present right now in
the moment? Do you experience a profound sense of peace
and serenity in your mind and body? That absolutely is
the flavor that resonates with me with bliss or feeling blissful.
Speaker 6 (03:21):
That yeah, that was really that really resonates with me.
When I was thinking about this word and this emotion.
The sort of image that came to light for me
is a butterfly that like. And it's funny because people
that are very common saying is to follow your bliss
(03:43):
to find work and purpose. And I don't think that
list can be chased down. I think that you can
set up conditions in which.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Bliss can alight upon you. But the more you try.
Speaker 6 (04:01):
To force bliss as an experience, the more elusive it becomes.
So if you can create circumstances where you are able to, Okay,
I'm going to set aside sometime for me. I'm going
to close my eyes. I'm going to put on my
favorite music and relax and put a warm blanket over myself.
You could open up yourself to be opportunity for bliss
(04:24):
to come into your life.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Feelings Matter is brought to you by feel Wise.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Most people can identify three emotions sad, mad, and glad,
but there are over one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Six ways to truly express how you feel. Feel Wise
tools help.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
You build your emotional vocabulary and transform understanding into action.
Discover the language of emotions on the fuel wise website
at bity slash feel Wise that b T dot l
y slash f E E l W I s E
(05:09):
field wise turn emotional awareness into your superpower.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I love that so much.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
That's actually helpful.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
So you described like the blanket the music.
Speaker 6 (05:29):
How often do you do.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
That for yourself? Heather, Oh God, not enough, bit of list.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
Yeah, no, that is that is a constant challenge of mine.
Self care in general is a constant challenge of mine.
I'm a people pleaser, I'm a caretaker, and so it's
very easy for me to always be putting other people's first.
One of my favorite places on earth is a family
cabin and there's a river and we go up there
(06:00):
every summer, and for me, blissed is lying on a
raft with the water gently undulating under me, with my
eyes closed, the sun beating down on me, with just
like my fingertips dipped in the cold river underneath me.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And that is bliss for me.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
And so when I need some of that in my life,
that is like almost a meditation that I will do
is just the closed eyes remembering of that moment, and
it's not quite the same, but it can definitely bring
my blood pressure.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
To what I need it nice that reminds me that
I do think about bliss as a lot of physical
sensations like warm breeze, water, the absence of stress in
my body, or the absence of tension. And there's also
a component of that is like a deep sense of presence,
(07:00):
like a mindfulness component. And I think one of the
ways to get into bliss if you've ever tried practicing
meditation or just really intense mindfulness, like being really as
present as possible in the moment, could be a gateway
to bliss.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
On you know what, as we're talking through this, because
for me, bliss is both peaceful and joyful. It's one
of those things that it's a little thing that can
trigger it. So as much as we want to set
aside time for self care and whatever, I'm capable of
(07:42):
triggering just a little.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Bit of that with a small thing.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
So I live in a high rise apartment with lots
of windows, and despite my age, there are certain things
that I just refuse to grow up.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
There's a little bit.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Of Peter Pan and Me in that there are prisms
hanging on chains from suction cups all over my windows,
all over the apartment. So as the sun moves throughout
the course of the day, there are several points through
the day that the sun will.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Hit those prisms and I get rainbows on the walls.
And I kid you not.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I have been doing this for three years now, ever
since I got into an apartment where there's actually enough
sunlight to make this possible.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
To this day, anytime I stop long enough to look.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Away from my mobile phone, away from my computer screen
and see rainbows somewhere on the ceiling, on the walls,
or I immediately giggle. I immediately experience a little bit
of bliss. I love that because it's just there, and
it's that Saren dipet is.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It's not a big thing, it's that little thing that triggers.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That bliss for me.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And yes, I'm goofy. I absolutely love
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Buds in my apartment.
Do you have trouble talking about your feelings.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You're not alone.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
It's a topic that can make even.
Speaker 4 (00:09):
The most powerful people somewhat squeamish.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
You're listening to Feelings Matter, where our mission is to
demystify everything about emotions so that we can all get
more comfortable in talking about them. Joining Heather, Tina and
Michelle as we unpack a new angle on emotions and
the psychology of human nature.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Feelings Matter. Welcome to Feelings Matter.
Speaker 5 (00:49):
I'm Michelstonson Ross, and I'm Tena Schweiger and I'm Heather Hampton.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
How about we talk about the feeling of bliss feeling
blissful and on my card anyway, the definition of blissful.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Is that feeling of extremely happy or full of joy.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
And I want to describe this for the listening audience.
So the visual representation of blissful is a puffy, little
white cloud with rainbow reflections on it. It's got a
great big smile on its face.
Speaker 6 (01:34):
There's just this.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Both lightness of form as well as lightness of color
that goes along with the image of blissful that really
resonates for me, because when I think about bliss in particular,
it's for me, the intersection of joy and peace. It's happy,
(02:01):
it's good, it's joyful, but it's also very chill in
my experience that there's this combination of I just feel
good right now. I don't feel intensely overwhelmed by like
excitement or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
What I feel when I'm blissful is just this, Ah,
I feel really great.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Right now, And that's what I think of when I
think of blissful. So some of the questions that you
can ask yourself to just contemplate the feeling of bliss.
Do you feel a deep sense of joy and contentment
that permeates your overall mood? So contentment is another one
of those words that I associate.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
With that peaceful aspect of bliss. Do you feel strong
connection to the present moment, fully appreciating the beauty.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
And goodness around you? Are you present right now in
the moment? Do you experience a profound sense of peace
and serenity in your mind and body? That absolutely is
the flavor that resonates with me with bliss or feeling blissful.
Speaker 6 (03:21):
That yeah, that was really that really resonates with me.
When I was thinking about this word and this emotion.
The sort of image that came to light for me
is a butterfly that like. And it's funny because people
that are very common saying is to follow your bliss
(03:43):
to find work and purpose. And I don't think that
list can be chased down. I think that you can
set up conditions in which.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Bliss can alight upon you. But the more you try.
Speaker 6 (04:01):
To force bliss as an experience, the more elusive it becomes.
So if you can create circumstances where you are able to, Okay,
I'm going to set aside sometime for me. I'm going
to close my eyes. I'm going to put on my
favorite music and relax and put a warm blanket over myself.
You could open up yourself to be opportunity for bliss
(04:24):
to come into your life.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Feelings Matter is brought to you by feel Wise.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Most people can identify three emotions sad, mad, and glad,
but there are over one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Six ways to truly express how you feel. Feel Wise
tools help.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
You build your emotional vocabulary and transform understanding into action.
Discover the language of emotions on the fuel wise website
at bity slash feel Wise that b T dot l
y slash f E E l W I s E
(05:09):
field wise turn emotional awareness into your superpower.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I love that so much.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
That's actually helpful.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
So you described like the blanket the music.
Speaker 6 (05:29):
How often do you do.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
That for yourself? Heather, Oh God, not enough, bit of list.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
Yeah, no, that is that is a constant challenge of mine.
Self care in general is a constant challenge of mine.
I'm a people pleaser, I'm a caretaker, and so it's
very easy for me to always be putting other people's first.
One of my favorite places on earth is a family
cabin and there's a river and we go up there
(06:00):
every summer, and for me, blissed is lying on a
raft with the water gently undulating under me, with my
eyes closed, the sun beating down on me, with just
like my fingertips dipped in the cold river underneath me.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And that is bliss for me.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
And so when I need some of that in my life,
that is like almost a meditation that I will do
is just the closed eyes remembering of that moment, and
it's not quite the same, but it can definitely bring
my blood pressure.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
To what I need it nice that reminds me that
I do think about bliss as a lot of physical
sensations like warm breeze, water, the absence of stress in
my body, or the absence of tension. And there's also
a component of that is like a deep sense of presence,
(07:00):
like a mindfulness component. And I think one of the
ways to get into bliss if you've ever tried practicing
meditation or just really intense mindfulness, like being really as
present as possible in the moment, could be a gateway
to bliss.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
On you know what, as we're talking through this, because
for me, bliss is both peaceful and joyful. It's one
of those things that it's a little thing that can
trigger it. So as much as we want to set
aside time for self care and whatever, I'm capable of
(07:42):
triggering just a little.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Bit of that with a small thing.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
So I live in a high rise apartment with lots
of windows, and despite my age, there are certain things
that I just refuse to grow up.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
There's a little bit.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Of Peter Pan and Me in that there are prisms
hanging on chains from suction cups all over my windows,
all over the apartment. So as the sun moves throughout
the course of the day, there are several points through
the day that the sun will.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Hit those prisms and I get rainbows on the walls.
And I kid you not.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I have been doing this for three years now, ever
since I got into an apartment where there's actually enough
sunlight to make this possible.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
To this day, anytime I stop long enough to look.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Away from my mobile phone, away from my computer screen
and see rainbows somewhere on the ceiling, on the walls,
or I immediately giggle. I immediately experience a little bit
of bliss. I love that because it's just there, and
it's that Saren dipet is.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It's not a big thing, it's that little thing that triggers.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That bliss for me.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And yes, I'm goofy. I absolutely love
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Buds in my apartment.
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