Connections, Emotions, Empathy

How connected do we feel to others?  When we feel a connection do we know what that relationship is supposed to be?  I often feel we have lost our connections with the environment, others, situations, etc...because we aren't connected to our emotions.  Especially in America (which is the only perspective I can truly write from) our emotions take a back seat too often. We've been told to be logical, figure things out with your head, you can't trust your heart it will lead you to be emotional...Why is that a bad thing?  Too often the only emotions we feel are the extreme ones because we just can't avoid them any longer.  But the subtler emotions can be a guide, the hint of truth in the air that you are looking for to connect you to your intuition.  Yes, I do believe we all have intuition and we can all learn to be more intuitive with practice (just like building your muscles when you exercise).  This can lead to better empathy with the people you encounter which leads to better relationships.  Using your intuition can also lead you too better opportunities in life that you would never have seen or known were available to you if it weren't for that little nudge from your intuition.  
Perhaps we have disconnected from our feelings as a way of protecting ourselves from the feelings that don't feel so good.  I think we all know we still have those times however.  Mostly we have hurt ourselves in not feeling the powerful, positive, elated feelings that we could be experiencing on a more regular basis from a new perspective.  From allowing ourselves to resonate with the things we are in alignment with, be that a new friend, new love, new job, new home...
How can you reconnect to your emotions and feel again?