Fact of life: Emotions can hurt. Sometimes you just want them to stop, right? Why do we need all these feelings anyways?
Psst… the usual disclaimer: I am not a physician and this is not medical advice. We aren’t speaking of mental illness, only the emotions which we ALL have. If you have concerns of illness or your body being off balance, please consult a medical professional. A functional medicine doctor may help you get to the root cause of your issues.
Okay, let’s move on to…
First, we have to remember this key thing:
Our mind is always trying to protect us. When it tells us something, we need to listen.
For example, when we feel stressed, anxious, or scared, our minds are telling us something needs to change. It could be something in our environment, or it could stem from on our body being out of balance. Either way, if we listen, emotions can provide momentum to move us into ACTION.
Another factor in what we are experiencing may have to do with emotional patterns. (Read the first articles in this series to learn more about emotional patterns.) Some patterns we may have developed years as a fear-based survival response. Let me explain.
We all have what is known as the “ego”. Sounds weird and psycho-babbley, right? But this is just a label for the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious. The ego is responsible for our sense of personal identity.
One purpose of this part of our minds is to protect us from harm. Think of the ego like a super computer; it collects all the data from our life’s experiences, takes everything that is said literally, and stores it! As a result, our behavior isn’t so much about the past, but about a body that continues to behave and organize itself as if the past experience is happening right now.
Yes, these protective responses are based on past experiences, so future responses will be the SAME unless the program is CHANGED. The good news is, we can change our programming. We’ll talk more about this in the next article.
Remember that emotions make us feel alive.
Sometimes we forget that feelings make us human. Yes, we all wish to avoid pain, but we need our emotions to fully experience life, move forward, and grow.
So what exactly do we do about all of this? First, think of what your emotions are trying to tell you. Do your circumstances need to change? Perhaps your body systems need more support, rest, or nutrition. Or, is something buried in your past eating at you?
As we dig deeper to find address these issues, sometimes we just need a little help coping. Personally, I use oils such as Frankincense and Stress Away daily to keep relaxed and focused. What healthy options for dealing with feelings work for you?
Haven’t read Part 1 yet? Click here.
For Part 2 click here.
When you’re ready for Part 4, click here. Thanks for reading!
Leave a Reply