Right now, with the global pandemic still causing chaos around the world, you are quite probably feeling sad, scared, exhausted, hurt or in pain - in a nutshell, ‘not ok’. Most of us don’t relish these feelings at all; but the truth of the matter is, that all of us have to experience these feelings in order to grow on an emotional level.
As soon as we feel these uncomfortable emotions, we try our hardest to change them - but unless we truly feel these feelings, they can persist for longer or end up manifesting in our lives in different ways.
Your own worst enemy
We often judge and shame ourselves harshly for not feeling on top of our game and we really don’t show ourselves the empathy we deserve. If we don’t put a stop to this, we can begin to self-sabotage very quickly.
Without doubt, understanding and learning to accept these feelings is uncomfortable. We need to eradicate the feeling of being weak or maybe doing something wrong, and accept that we are being HUMAN. By learning to accept our feelings we start to become more inwardly connected.
How do we learn to accept these feelings?
Speak to someone you trust: for example a family member, friend or a therapist. It’s important that you don’t feel alone with these feelings. Mental health is NOT a taboo subject. Take some time out to find what the root causes of your feelings are, don’t rush yourself.
Don’t push yourself into situations that make you feel under pressure, or where you feel you have to put on a fake smile and pretend to be jovial. Try not to worry about what people are thinking if you are not at the top of your game. Those people who are important in your life and care about you will understand.
The way that you are feeling is totally unique to you even if someone you know has been in a similar situation - you should therefore never compare yourself to them. Going through these difficult times actually allows you to have far more empathy with people in your life when they too are also struggling emotionally. Not feeling okay makes you appreciate the happier times that you experience in life so much more. It’s not your fault when you don’t feel okay. You can’t always control these feelings or how they make you feel. We all experience emotional rollercoasters in our lives - it’s perfectly normal - but by understanding what triggers these feelings in you can then make you feel more balanced and accepting.