Emotional Awareness

We can’t prevent, avoid or circumvent our emotions. Our sadness, frustration, anger, hurt, jealousy, etc., are all a part of the human experience. Our emotions are telling us something about how we are processing our experiences. We don’t have to act on them…but we must go through them to get to wholeness.

“We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.” ~ Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Inhale Emotions, Exhale Stoicism…
Inhale Energy, Exhale Avoidance…
Inhale Experiences, Exhale Repression…
Just Breathe

#Awareness
#JustBreathe

Blaming Superwoman

Charley Bordelon West, middle child of the fictional Bordelon family from Oprah’s OWN “Queen Sugar” is a black woman we don’t get to see often on TV. Stunning, smart and strategic, she is usually the smartest person in whatever room she occupies.

This season has been all about the cracks in the façade of control she presents to the world. Yet during a curated discussion of the show with other women, Charley’s revelation of just a sliver of vulnerability…the escape of a tightly held tear down her face…elicited derision and suspicion.

It was a familiar reaction and reminded me that we often don’t even permit ourselves or each other the dimensions and layers of a richly imagined character…

“We’ve been raised in a culture that denies us the value of experiencing our sadness. I believe our tears are a sign of release…a natural part of our emotional cleansing system and they promote our ability to heal.” ~ Julia A. Boyd, Girlfriend to Girlfriend

Inhale Vulnerability, Exhale Repression…
Inhale Authenticity, Exhale Suspicion…
Inhale Emotions, Exhale Judgment…
Just Breathe

#JustBreathe
Reflections With Renita

Emotions

Our emotions are there to tell us something about the way we’re processing our experience. How we respond to our emotions says a lot about who we are…we get to choose.

Positivity is one of my strengths and I usually choose to be positive. Not always, but I work on it. I do things that fill me up, like getting still to pray and meditate and getting physical through exercise and eating healthy. I try to limit my exposure to negativity…be it people, experiences, or lies masquerading as news.

And when I do experience negative emotions, I process them. I cry, I read favorite passages…I get still to feel what I’m feeling. I go to my favorite healing places, like Lake Michigan or when it’s winter in Chicago, I listen to the sounds of the ocean and imagine I’m on a cruise ship or lying on a beach. I let the emotions flow through me like water…and then I focus on the blessings in my life.

“We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.” ~ Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Inhale Emotion, Exhale Stoicism…
Inhale Feelings, Exhale Repression…
Inhale Awareness, Exhale Numbness…
#JustBreathe…

Reflections With Renita