{"id":218,"date":"2013-12-14T22:20:47","date_gmt":"2013-12-14T22:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/?p=218"},"modified":"2013-12-14T22:20:47","modified_gmt":"2013-12-14T22:20:47","slug":"feeling-your-feelings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/2013\/12\/feeling-your-feelings.html","title":{"rendered":"Feeling Your Feelings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"up<\/a>Our moods go up and down. Our emotions fluctuate constantly. Sometimes we\u2019re happy, and sometimes we\u2019re sad. Sometimes we\u2019re angry, and sometimes we\u2019re grateful. Sometimes we\u2019re afraid, and sometimes we\u2019re content. And all of these states of being are completely normal and completely necessary.<\/p>\n

But sometimes, especially when we\u2019ve immersed ourselves in the world of personal growth, we can begin to think that feeling anything other than gratitude and positivity is somehow bad \u2013 that there must be something wrong with us if we can\u2019t see life through rose-colored lenses at all times.<\/p>\n

Sometimes we\u2019ve gotten into the habit of wanting everything to be good and then pretending like everything is<\/em> good. We\u2019ve all heard the expression, \u201cFake it until you make it.\u201d And while I\u2019m sure this statement was intended to support and uplift, I feel that it can give more fuel to the \u201cWe must be positive all of the time\u201d fire.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a huge advocate of allowing ourselves to feel whatever it is that we\u2019re feeling.<\/strong> Sometimes these feelings are positive, and sometimes they aren\u2019t. But neither is better than the other.<\/strong> Of course, many of us wish that our emotions were always positive. No one wants to feel pain, and no one wants to suffer. But I would argue that the painful emotions are here to teach us something about ourselves. I would argue that they aren\u2019t superfluous \u2013 that they are asking us to go within and investigate our psyche a bit. That maybe it\u2019s time to give ourselves permission to move through them, even if it\u2019s uncomfortable and even if it\u2019s painful. Because once we do, I believe that we\u2019ll feel so much stronger and so much more at peace.<\/p>\n

I was talking with a friend the other day whose dad is dying. He said that his dad doesn\u2019t want to talk about his feelings. He simply puts a fake smile on his face and pretends like everything is okay. Except it isn\u2019t. And everyone knows that it isn\u2019t. He wants to push away these painful emotions. He isn\u2019t ready to move through them. He may never be ready.<\/p>\n

I also know what it\u2019s like to push these painful emotions away and to want to pretend like everything is okay. But I know that this masking process doesn\u2019t take away the pain. It simply postpones it for a little while and turns me into a zombie of sorts \u2013 running on auto pilot.<\/p>\n

When I stop my own busyness and allow the emotions to surface, whether they be sadness or fear or frustration or grief, I always feel so much better. (That\u2019s not to say that the process of letting them surface isn\u2019t painful \u2013 because it certainly is, but the release of the emotions leaves me feeling more centered and in line with my soul. Every single time.)<\/p>\n

For most of us, when we\u2019re feeling happy, we would never try to mask this joyous feeling. We would embrace it and want to stay in it and extend it for as long as we could. But I believe that in order to feel true happiness, we have to be open to feeling the entire spectrum of emotions as well. We have to be willing to allow ourselves to be wherever we are \u2013 to experience honestly wherever we are. Because this space is our truth. And when we\u2019re living our truth, we come to life \u2013 and that\u2019s definitely worth celebrating.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re feeling happy, embrace that happiness.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re feeling sad, honor that it\u2019s here for a reason and allow it to surface.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re feeling angry, let it move through you and out of you.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re feeling grateful, give thanks for this emotion.<\/p>\n

Know that whatever you\u2019re feeling is valid and important and leading you to living your truth. And that\u2019s such a special way to live. It\u2019s something that I\u2019m currently striving for and staying conscious of, and I would love for you to join me in this process of honesty and awareness.<\/p>\n

Hugs,<\/p>\n

Jodi<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"about
\n<\/a>Jodi Chapman is a bestselling author, an award-winning blogger, and a soulful community builder.\u00a0She lives her life with love and faith in the driver\u2019s seat, and she hopes to leave a trail of inspiration wherever she goes. She believes that we each have the ability to hear our soul\u2019s whisper and create our best lives. She would love to connect with you!<\/p>\n

Website<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Angel Fund<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Free Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our moods go up and down. Our emotions fluctuate constantly. Sometimes we\u2019re happy, and sometimes we\u2019re sad. Sometimes we\u2019re angry, and sometimes we\u2019re grateful. Sometimes we\u2019re afraid, and sometimes we\u2019re content. And all of these states of being are completely normal and completely necessary. 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