don't be afraid to feel all the feels

I was listening to a podcast that was talking about actually feeling your feelings to work through them. A phrase that stuck out to me was something along the lines of "Society teaches us to question and repress our feelings, while you should be letting them come to the surface to heal."

It made me look back. As a HSP child, I was often overwhelmed and that would lead to tears. Think about any time that you've cried or gotten upset, as a child or an adult. The first thing we are programmed to ask is "What's wrong?" Next, we are programmed to help others get rid of those feelings quickly, sometimes to help them feel better but more often to make ourselves avoid the discomfort of seeing someone upset.

I think many kids are encouraged to not have feelings, so we grow up with repressed feelings and don't know how to release and heal. This can cause anxiety, depression, anger, and a ton of other things. I think about how often tears arise as an adult and how quickly I always try to make them go away, especially if I am in the company of others. I remember that feeling of embarrassment as kid. In fact, it came up recently when I saw a girl I went to school with for many years, but haven't talked to in years. All she could remember about me was I cried a lot. 

To be honest, that was kind of embarrassing and it brought back all of those negative feelings. I know people either felt bad for me, wondered what was wrong, or made fun of me. I had no idea that I was a highly sensitive person. The adults around me knew I was sensitive, but it was looked at as something to get rid of or fix instead of something to embrace. 

Moral of the story... the next time that feelings arise, know that feelings come and go. How often do you feel the same feelings and emotions all day long? Feel them and let them pass. Comment below and tell me your experience with this!