As we continue tending to our souls for holistic healing, this weeks entry focuses on emotional health. Watering yourself emotionally allows you to cope with life's changes, helps you keep the right perspective when facing difficult situations, allows you to bounce back from setbacks, and gives you a better sense of self. It differs from your mind in that the mind processes in a logical manner, but your emotions process from your feelings concerning a matter.
Some of us have heard "the eyes are the window to the soul," which means looking into an individuals eyes can reveal their innermost feelings, their heart, their emotions. How many times have you been told your eyes are saying something different from your mouth? Or how many instances have you looked into someone's eyes and can tell they are sad even though they may be smiling? We can be very convincing to ourselves thinking we are hiding a heart matter, or thinking we have dealt with the heart matter only to be triggered and here surfaces the issue of the heart. Are you processing your emotions correctly or are they suppressed because it hurts to bad to face, or you don't want to be labeled as sensitive or moody?
Emotions are valid God-given feelings that are sometimes processed incorrectly because there isn't a safe space for them to be poured out in a healthy manner. As a result, they remain suppressed and cripples our emotional health. There was a time I was hurt by an action of a trusted colleague. The first time the incident happened I ignored it and reasoned it was an honest oversight, but the second time it happened it was clearly deliberate. Why was I being treated this way his after all I've done to support them? I felt insignificant and thrown to the side as if I did not matter. I was hurt! That hurt immediately masked itself as anger and built up a wall of protection around my heart. I can't let them know their actions hurt me because then I'd be vulnerable, weak, alone. So as that wall of anger grew higher and higher, I had some choice words to share with the person. In preparing for the conversation to be had I hear God's voice whisper "daughter, what are you going to say?" That of course was a rhetorical question, God knew what I wanted to say because He's been hearing me talk to myself, which in turn I answered "I guess nothing" and He says "very well...now tell me how you are truly feeling." After a long pause I was now able to see where the true emotion of hurt was buried and anger had taken its place as a defense mechanism. So instead of keeping that hurt buried and reacting out of a misplaced emotion of anger, I had to learn how to process the hurt correctly so this instance would not become a trigger in the future if a similar situation would arise.
Do not dismiss nor burry your feelings as if they do not matter. We as women have been labeled sensitive, angry, or moody at times, where others are perceived as passionate or assertive, for expressing our authentic feelings. These labels have kept up from processing our emotions correctly where we bottle up how we are truly feeling only for another emotion to take its place affecting our emotional health. If you are not ready to speak with a professional or a trusted friend/family member, try journaling. What is the emotion? Why am I experiencing it (behavior patterns/triggers)? Listen to your heart and write down what you feel. This is a major step in helping to water your heart.
