Our feelings can sometimes present a very challenging aspect of our lives. We experience intense emotions without understanding precisely why and consequently find it difficult to identify the solutions that will soothe our distressed minds and hearts. Yet it is only when we are capable of naming our feelings that we can tame them by finding an appropriate resolution. We retake control of our personal power by becoming courageous enough to articulate, out loud and concisely, the essence of our emotions. Our assuming ownership of the challenges before us in this way empowers us to shift from one emotional state to another-we can let go of pain and upset because we have defined it, examined the effect it had on our lives, and then exerted our authority over it by making it our own. By naming our feelings, we claim the right to divest ourselves of them at will.
As you prepare to acknowledge your feelings aloud, gently remind yourself that being specific is an important part of exercising control. Whatever the nature of your feelings, carefully define the reaction taking place within you. If you are afraid of a situation or intimidated by an individual, try not to mince words while giving voice to your anxiety. The precision with which you express yourself is indicative of your overall willingness to stare your feelings in the face without flinching. Naming and claiming cannot always work in the vacuum of the soul. There may be times in which you will find the release you desire only by admitting your feelings before others. When this is the case, your ability to outline your feelings explicitly can help you ask for the support, aid, or guidance you need without becoming mired in the feelings that led you to make such an admission in the first place.
When you have moved past the apprehension associated with expressing your distressing feelings out loud, you may be surprised to discover that you feel liberated and lightened. This is because the act of making a clear connection between your circumstances and your feelings unravels the mystery that previously kept you from being in complete control of your emotional state. To give voice to your feelings, you must necessarily let them go. In the process, you naturally relax and rediscover your emotional equilibrium.
DailyOM.com
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
This is completely true & what I recognised in the gift of sharing in meetings. It's not something I've mastered as yet being a newcomer & I realise how much courage & honesty this takes. For me, the crux lies in stepping past pride in order to name feelings, put yourself in the hotseat & say 'Yes this is how I am/have been feeling'. The irony for me is that admitting to such feelings leaves you 'open' to judgement. At least this is my worst fear & the leap of faith it would take in order to open up & get honest with the group. I already know that we don't judge with each other, we identify & my ego has still been successfully whispering to me 'Don't tell them, they won't believe in you & will think all the worst thoughts you've had about yourself are true!' The other irony of it is ~ that once you've expressed your feelings & situations in the nature shown above then you are no longer bound by that & the very action of what you've done will teach you & we'll have moved on. So, in effect, it will be like us looking upon a star that we can see in the present moment but really all we're seeing is the light of that star as it's reached us. Really, the star may not exist yet the last of the light will still have been travelling. One of my worst fears that I touched on in my last reply to you Wren is that I'm afraid of people judging me for what I have been when already I'll have grown & changed & want to be recognised & given credit for that. Pride & ego again. I'm onto it. Thanks for a beautifully relevant & well~timed post ;)
__________________
Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
