In the Flow with Healing Waters
How am I?
When we become physically sick, we take notice. When we are not well we stay home from school, work, or activities. When we have pain in our bodies we seek help from outside sources.
But what if we are unwell with our emotions? What if you are easily upset, react quickly, feel resentful or angry often? What if you are frequently sad when you watch the news? What if you are afraid to try new things? What if you worry about friends/family a lot?
Society doesn’t talk much about this, nor do people like to talk about what they are really feeling. The purpose and benefit of talking about what you’re feeling is to help you heal quicker.
We are emotional beings. Why do we expect we wouldn’t have emotions that need to be acknowledged and addressed? Sometimes we are afraid to look at them, fear of not being able to control them when they come out, feeling guilty we have them, or they may not be nice to say or have.
It takes a lot of courage to look at your emotions and how you are.
When you realize “I am really sad” or “I am angry that he or she did that to me” that is the starting point. Awareness is a key to wellness.
When we ignore our emotions or distract ourselves, we are pushing the pause button until that feeling will get triggered again.
When you get triggered, take time to ask yourself this question.
How am I?
Beginning to understand how you are should be the most important thing in your life and is a key to well-care.
- Start to notice when you are contracting (feeling frustrated, angry, sad, overwhelmed, worried are a few of contracting emotions).
- Get clear on the baseline.
- Don’t judge yourself.
- Allow grace with yourself and acknowledge your feelings. Most of us don’t want to feel angry, sad, frustrated or scared. We would rather feel the emotions of joy, excitement, happiness and love. All of these feelings are energy and you get to decide how you want to be.
- When you get clear what the negative emotions are, identify them, sit with them, feel them, then try this….. Feel the opposite.
Moving to the opposite emotion is in alignment with your well-being.
When you feel angry, think or do something that makes you feel calm. If you feel sad, think or do something that makes you happy. If fear is present, think or do something that makes you feel brave.
As humans, we tend to think it is so hard to move from negative emotions to positive emotions. Believe me, I have been in a funk and really wanted to hang onto feeling my negative emotion. Why? To be right? To teach the other person who hurt us a lesson? Maybe to continue to be the martyr and take it for the team? In reality we are just hurting ourselves…no one else.
So next time you notice that you are feeling negative, sit, breathe, and be aware of your feelings. Feel the opposite and see how you feel afterward. Even if it is just for a few moments. Your wellness and healing begins and depends on this.
-Stay in the Flow
Written by Susan Schultz, co-owner of Healing Waters Health Center
