Relief
A release following the resolution or removal of a sustained threat or burden — it structurally requires a preceding negative state, and is often mixed with sadness or guilt.
How it shows up
Relief comes when a weight lifts: test results come back clear, a lost child is found, a hard project finally ends. Many people exhale, loosen, or feel suddenly tired. It marks the end of a threat that had been occupying attention. Because it depends on what came before, relief is often tangled with leftover fear, sadness at what nearly happened, or guilt that others were not so lucky.
How it differs from Contentment
Contentment is a quiet satisfaction that needs no backstory; relief always follows a strain and carries the mark of what has just ended.
Notice
When relief arrives, notice what other feelings come along with it.
Where it is felt
Felt most in the chest, shoulders and whole body.
Based on Nummenmaa et al. (2014), bodily maps of emotions, and related research. The map shows where people report bodily sensation, on average; individual experience varies.