Emotions are funny things, are they not? We are taught to ignore them, that only certain emotions are "good," and that a whole lot of emotions are "bad," but really, emotions are just messengers trying to tell us the truth about ourselves and what we really believe.
Maybe I should say that it's not emotions that are funny, but people who are funny about emotions. Most of the problems that I see with emotions comes from NOT listening to them.
Not listening to your emotions can lead you into unfulfilling relationships, dead-end or soul-deadening work, issues with your health as a result of coping or distraction behaviors...and many more.
When you listen to your emotions, then it can lead to knowing what you want (envy and anger), releasing unrealistic expectations (shame, sadness, anger, contentment), trying new things (envy, fear, happiness), and a sense of clarity and purpose about what's important to you (anger, shame, envy, jealousy, sadness, heck, all the emotions are involved with this one). Listening to and acting on your emotions in an honorable way is involved in every part of your life.
You're probably really good at listening to some of your emotions - perhaps happiness, contentment, or joy? You may not be so good at listening to other emotions that have more difficult messages for you to hear, such as sadness, anger, or fear.
Let's do a little experiential exercise.
What do you see in this picture?
Do you see something ominous? Perhaps something humorous, even comic? Or do you just see a yellow garden spider, commonly found throughout the world?
At first glance, your emotions can seem to be as surprising or unwelcome as a spider in an unexpected place, but when you look more closely, they are exactly where they should be, doing what they should be doing. It is your job to understand them and what they're trying to tell you.
In my Befriending course series, it's my intention to help you see all of your emotions as valuable and valid, by uncovering the assumptions you have about your emotions, and giving you practices to help you listen to what they have to say. A big part of working with emotions is simply acknowledging that you're having them, which can often be accomplished by naming what you're feeling, but sometimes you need more support than that.
My courses provide that support, in the form of written curriculum, audio recordings of guided practices, and of course, a weekly live webinar where we discuss the course material and go through experiential exercises that help you embody the information that's already in your head.
Join me this coming Monday, October 26th, to explore your essential and behavior-balancing shame, and the beliefs that drive it. You'll learn a practice to help you change or eradicate limiting beliefs, so that you truly can come away from this course as a newer version of yourself (if you use the practice!).
I hope that you are able to have moments of feeling safe and cared-for in this time of uncertainty and change. I hope you know that your emotions are there to support you, whatever your situation, and that you can trust them. They are there for you.