Making Friends With Our Feelings

Our feelings take us on various journeys….from ecstasy to agony, and everything in-between!!

Sometimes we wish we didn’t have feelings but what would that be like in reality?

“You have won a million dollars”, your response “OK”.

“The love of your life has died”, your response “OK”.

There is a deadness about that. Emotions give us life, in Greek ζωή (life, living, being, spirit).

But feelings can either be our friend, supporter, enhancer or our tormentor and our downfall.

Some feelings are our own, others vicariously experienced. Just watch a few movies, with this in mind, and see what I mean.

So, join with me in this section as we look at our feelings and perhaps make friends with them. Let us allow them to assist us to find greater inner peace, joy and truly experiencing life.

Identifying our feelings:

How are you feeling? Be as honest as you can and take your time to identify what your real emotions are. In a sense you are giving your feelings the dignity of being recognized. We need to often pause and ask ourselves, “How do I really feel about this?” Not what should I be feeling, but what do I really feel. Feelings are natural and neutral, however, what we do with them can either be positive or negative.

Identify them, and perhaps even have a dialogue with them, like the Psalmist when he said; “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” (Ps 42:5)