My Happiness Coach

You cannot choose what you feel, but you can choose how you react!

In the process of dealing with food craving, I found that I was forced to come face-to-face with my emotions. At first, this was difficult and discouraging. Then, I realized that this is a welcomed opportunity to dig deep and deal with these emotions. You know, the ones that I have stuffed down inside of me.

Happiness: this one is easy, right!?! You just feel joy and you are happy… right??? If you are not in touch with your feelings & you are bottling every emotion, even happiness can be hard.

Anger: okay, now we are getting to the hard stuff. Anger is difficult because it can cause feelings of guilt & lead to violence. When you let yourself feel angry at an appropriate time, the feeling can be a release for you. Feel angry when someone eats your, clearly marked, lunch in the work fridge. The key here is to not let your anger bottle up until you blow (especially if its in the form of violence).

Sadness: no one likes to feel sad. It can hurt. It can be difficult to process. But, it is important that you do process your sadness, otherwise, you will start getting numb & that is much worse.

I could continue to go through every emotion that we feel. But it comes down to – feeling good, bad, or indifferent. None of these options are hurtful by nature, but if you don’t let yourself feel what you are feeling in response to an event, it can turn into a hurtful/negative experience.

What does it mean to sit with your emotions?

Imagine sitting with a good friend, everything seams easier – conversations flow & you slowly drop those walls. If you do the same with your emotions, imagine the intimacy that you will build with yourself. The act of feeling is an act of self-care. It is the key to the end of bottled emotions.

To sit with your emotions, you must be able to take a moment, or two, & just feel. Check in with yourself. Take a moment now, I’ll wait for you!

What are you feeling?

Are you stressed? Bottled emotions cause stress, so does avoidance. If you bottle things and avoid dealing with things in your life – it leads to stress. Stress is extremely unhealthy for you body. So, take another moment and think about the root of your stress. Fear of the future, regrets from the past, avoiding the important things in your life – these are stressors in our lives.

Are you frustrated? Frustration often stems from feelings of anger & powerlessness. When you let anger get the best of you it will run wild & run your life. You can’t control the world (don’t try) but you can control your response to the world.

Is you mind, soul, & body tired? Disregarding your feeling takes a toll on your whole self. Your mind expends a lot of extra energy when you distance yourself from those feelings. Your soul pays dearly when you do not let your emotions shine through. Your body is the final thing that bares the brunt of your avoidance. Think about what happens if you keep cramming something into a bottle, it will eventually bust.

Self-care & emotions – a match made in heaven.

One of the best things that you can do for yourself is feeling, in the moment. Don’t wait, don’t bottle, just feel. Remember this does not mean acting on your these feelings. The key here is to identify and process the emotion. That is the ultimate form of self-care!