Turbid emotions are the result of turbulent psychological currents that stir up the muck from the bottom of the mind to muddy the mental waters. Turmoil has some share in this sense of suspension, but with a greater velocity, and the addition of a roiling in the deep.
When we feel in turmoil, we experience a surging, swirling, conflict of consciousness. Where the confusion of turbidity comes from the obscuring murk that surrounds us, the lack of clarity in turmoil arises from competing demands within our minds. In turmoil, there is no central authority capable of exercising control.
Externally, turmoil is a term that’s used to describe social unrest and outright warfare. Internally, turmoil tumbles through us like an emotional insurrection, with forces lurching this way and that in a nauseating battle that leaves us incapable of presenting a coherent, united identity to the world outside of ourselves.
Emotional turmoil has some similarity to feeling messed up, but is more fluid, with a tone of agitation. With turmoil, the problem comes from a tumbling disorientation. When we feel messed up, the problem can persist even when we remain still and settle down.
