Emotions

“There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Emotions are powerful.

Most of us have no idea what to do with them. Many times we try to take these emotions and bottle them up and by doing so with the hopes that it makes things hurt less or become less intense and overwhelming. Having been (and still guilty of...) a self-proclaimed "bottler" I can tell you this is dangerous. The problem is that the bottle is never big enough and all those emotions you work so hard to close up, end up spilling over and usually leaving a mess in the aftermath.

We have emotions for a reason. They are gifts to help us to learn about ourselves and each other. When we learn how to deal with our own emotions then we can understand more about others. I find that a major problem in relationships these days is that with no control on our feelings then there is no way to communicate effectively. When you are feeling so angry inside and yet don't know how to deal with the anger or express it into words then things become icy. Usually anger is masking another emotion - sadness. I find its easier to be angry then to actually face the pain of something that hurts. I don't want to be that person anymore and instead have opted to actually delve into these feelings and understand where they are coming from.

It's not easy.

I'm going to learn to love my anger... love my sadness...love my fears... as well as loving things that make me ecstatic and giddy. These are all a part of me. And yes folks, since the theme of the blog these days is "learning to love yourself"....then emotions are a part of me and a part of you. Try it out. Next time a strong emotion takes over you - take a moment and really feel it. Don't be afraid of uncovering what's underneath. Once you uncover the emotions that aren't so good then you can become more open to yourself and others.