Life is a circle of happiness, sadness, hard times, and good times. Feelings such as hurt, frustration, dejection, guilt, worry, delight, joy, exuberance, appreciation and love are emotions we will all encounter during our lives, but how often do we actually give ourselves permission to feel in any given moment? What would it look like to honour our real feelings and to live life knowing what we want to feel is just as important as anyone else?
Honouring our feelings is about being true to ourselves, honest with how we feel and what we want.
Self-acceptance plays a big part in our ability to honour how we feel and requires a willingness to experience thoughts, feelings and emotions without denial, resistance or judgement.
As human beings we tend to find it easier to express so called “good” emotions but struggle with what we perceive to be “bad” ones. However all of our emotions have value and have benefits if we are willing to feel them in a healthy and compassionate way.
If we aren’t able to honour and express how we feel then we aren’t able to let go of things that may be hurting us. Whether it be a relationship, job, hurt, anger, an illness such as an eating disorder, a grudge or minor irritation, holding onto unhealthy and negative influences in our lives means that we lose touch with who we are and lose our sense of self.
The relationship we have with ourselves is the most important relationship we will ever have and if this is tarnished or diminished it will likely be mirrored in other areas of our lives.
Sometimes walking away from things that no longer serve us is actually a sign of strength and a step towards the life that we deserve, one in which we can flourish and grow.
It is important to remember that we don’t have to struggle with our feelings alone. Support from family, friends, colleagues or a therapist can help to guide us through our emotional experiences and give us much needed guidance and empowerment. Communicating honestly and truthfully to those close to us can really help during difficult times.
So whatever happens in our lives we should always try to remain true to who we are and how we feel and love ourselves enough to take the actions required for our inner peace and self -fulfilment.
