A friend sent me an article earlier this week about emotions and it goes along so well with my earlier posts that I have to share it.
Link: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/what-your-emotions-are-trying-tell-you
The author does such a great job of verbalizing ideas that I could never fully form into coherent sentences:
Really you should all just read the article. And my reasoning is, it’s one of the best, concise breakdowns of how to be emotionally healthy that I have ever read. One section stuck out to me in particular:
Embrace the emotions, especially the ones you’re afraid of and the ones for which people have wrongly judged you. They are real. They are valid. They aren’t bad in and of themselves. Emotional vulnerability is a strength.
I think I had lost touch with the idea that emotions are valid, and not just some manifestation of crazy that was all in my head and that I needed to fix before people found out.
This process of blogging and getting reacquainted with the emotional process has been…well, it’s been emotional. Uncomfortable. And extremely valuable. I was ready for people to tell me things like “joy is the only good emotion” and “it’s definitely a mindset. If you are unhappy it’s a choice. Just get over it.” One of the most amazing things for me is that nothing like this happened. So many people agreed with and related to what I wrote, and even more people were excited and encouraged me to pursue this. I can feel myself walking the road to healing wounds I had hidden long ago. God has come through for me on so many levels of this journey.
Emotional talks are still uncomfortable for me. It is still preferable for me to just say “eh whatever, this will pass” and continue to bury my feelings. I think what has changed is that God has taken my shovel. This community of people who read my blog and then confront me about it (eek) has essentially destroyed any opportunity to bury and forget things that God wants me to give to Him. He met me where I was (clutching my shovel) and is now leading me to a more relaxed, open place where I can feel emotional without feeling ashamed. That must be it. I have coupled most of my emotions with a shameful feeling that comes from experiencing said emotions, rather than welcoming those emotions and working through the underlying causes and necessary healing. I suppose now that I’ve said it, I can continue moving forward.
I’m sure I will get to a point where I am grateful for this, but for now I still miss my shovel.