It's a Balancing act!
It’s been said many times that “Feelings are neither right nor wrong – they just are.” But what does this statement mean? Perhaps a better way to look at feelings is to break it down into two different groups:
Many of us are taught at a young age to “suck it up” or “stop crying!” when sad or angry, and in the process, learn that these emotions are bad. Instead of viewing feelings as good or bad, try looking at them as pleasant or unpleasant.
To feel is as human as it is to breath. So in the big picture, whether it is an unpleasant (sad, fear, anger, exhausted…), or pleasant – remember – it’s completely ok and normal. The trick is to become aware, and recognize when and what we are experiencing. Burying those emotions affect our day to day lives in ways that can have far reaching consequences. By allowing yourself to really feel the unpleasant emotions, you not only can learn to accept them as normal, but also open the door to fully experience the pleasant feelings in an entirely new and brilliant light! Your words can be a window to your heart, and by finding someone safe to share your world to, can be especially soothing and therapeutic.
At the end of the day, we all want to experience the pleasure of life more than the pain. By practice and spending time getting in touch with both sides, we can learn to become more emotionally balanced – learning to love ourselves through the whole and the brokenness.
