Emotional Challenges

I think it’s pretty safe to say we all have emotional challenges over the course of our journey through this life. From the spiritual novice to the most evolved spiritual leaders, emotional challenges are unavoidable. More importantly, I have found that they create necessary growth and change.

Those challenges can occur with emotions such as depression, anxiety, anger, fear, disappointment, grief, loss, and the myriad of other emotions that exist.

I’ve experienced emotional challenges in my relationships with friends, co-workers, family, self, and people I’ve dated. Many of my emotional challenges have been tied to the people that I love the most in my life. Or at least it hurts more with those people. It is more challenging I guess, because of the close ties.

I have discovered that my emotions are directly linked to how I feel physically. That makes it important for me to be aware of my thoughts, stresses, and anxieties. In reflecting back, my pain, suffering, and other emotional challenges have been a result of my thoughts, fears, anxieties, and behaviors. Learning to control those emotional challenges is key to achieving optimal health.

How do I handle my emotional challenges?

Growing up as a child my Dad would always say, “crying is for sissys.” I can still hear him saying it at times. It had a pretty profound effect on me.

Emotions were to be suppressed or hidden. I kinda got used to retreating to another place mentally and ignoring the emotion. I still find myself doing that at times, even though I know that suppressed emotions lead to physical sickness.

There are no words in the Universe to explain the emotional challenges I faced when I suddenly lost my mother in a car accident. Challenges of grief, loss, depression, anxiety, overwhelming sadness, and anger just to name a few.

I really cannot explain all the emotional challenges I have allowed to penetrate my energy field over my lifetime thus far. From simple challenges such as being frustrated with a co-worker, and disappointed in a family member or friend to pure anger over a given situation or person.

So again, how do I handle those Emotional Challenges?

While I am still learning how to handle my emotions at this age in my life?

I would like to share a few helpful tips that have created some change and stimulated self-healing for me.

1. Allow:

Allow those emotions to be. Recognize their existence and embrace them. It is important to ask, “Where is this emotion coming from?” “What is it here to tell me?”

2. Be Still:

I have learned that no reaction is at times the best reaction. Being still is part of the allowing.

3. Breathe:

Inhale the emotion in, then exhale the emotion out, releasing it. The practice of breathing and focusing on that breathe creates a deeper peace for me when I am able to accomplish it. Practice mindfully letting go as you exhale.

4. Focus on your Spiritual Being:

It is so easy to get too much in the human mind, and the five senses of what we touch, smell, taste, see, and feel. We are actually spiritual beings in a human shell, but I find myself getting that twisted every now and then. The routine practice of meditation and prayer aids in putting me back in touch with my spirit. It only works for me however when I am consistent with that practice.

This life is one big ole classroom for me. I am learning daily. Learning about me. I am indeed a work in progress, and I am acutely aware of the areas I need to continue to work on and grow.

How do you handle your emotional challenges? I would love to have you share your thoughts.

Until next time, Allow, Be Still, Breathe, and Focus on Spirit. You’ll be better equipped to handle your emotional challenges.