Lesson 5: Self-attention
Self Feeling
So, how are you feeling? Do you know? Have you allowed yourself to feel anything?
Think about your best friend. I mean your very best friend who would tell you if an outfit looked bad on you or if your backstroke was way off. You trust them, whether the information they share with you is positive or loving correction. Now, what would happen if we treated our emotions the same way?
A friend of mine, and emotional intelligence expert, Johanna Vanderpool, recently led a teleclass on emotions. Her position is clear. Emotions are messengers. They have valuable information to share with us. So, considering that your emotions, right there inside of you, are closer to your reality than your best friend, would it not serve you to listen to them even more regularly than your friend?
Our society has taught us to ignore, repress, and deny our feelings. I'm not convinced that that is the healthiest way to live. Acknowledge what you feel. Feel it. And then let them go. We can't act on all emotions or the jails would be even more full than they are now. But listen to the message of the emotion.
Our behaviors and our attitudes co-exist with our emotions. What we do with our emotions will impact what we think and how we act. When emotions are treated as the guides they are, we can begin to evolve.
Being in touch with your feelings helps to identify patterns of behavior. If you are constantly feeling bad about your situation or sorry for your circumstances, you will find it difficult to rise above them. You may in fact be allowing your feelings to dictate your current situation and negatively impact your future opportunities.
Take a moment to get in touch with your current bodily sensations? Do you feel energized, drained, achey? Define what signals your body is sending you. Now, what are you doing with those messages? Are you listening to the subtle nuances or are you waiting until you collapse? Do you give yourself permission to feel what you are feeling or are you ignoring the signs of exhaustion or frustration? Your feelings reside somewhere. If they are not dealt with and liberated from your body, they will find somewhere to reside. Do you consistently have pain in a certain part of your body? Does it seem when you are tired you usually get a stiff neck? Listen to the signals your body is sending you in the form of physical feelings.
You may also want to examine what information your energy centres are tying to share with you. In her book, Eastern Body, Western Mind, author Anodea Judith explores the relationship between the chakra system and the essence of Western psychology. On page 10 and 11 she provides a table of correspondences between the chakras, their location in the body, central issues, orientation to self, goals, rights, developmental stage, identity, demon, element, excessive characteristics, and deficient characteristics. It can be a tremendous resource in understanding energy blockages, related feelings, and opportunities for personal growth.
Feelings can be tricky business if you are simply trying to ignore them or diminish them to a place of annoyance and things to be merely tolerated. By recognizing your feelings and understanding what they are trying to tell you, you will be able to appreciate their messages and use them for your healing.
1. What are you feeling, right now?
2. What are your emotions trying to tell you?
3. What might happen if you started to feel your emotions?
4. How can you learn to embrace the messages that are being sent by your emotions?
