I was asked how did I reconnect to my feelings…….This is my response.

My counselor worked with me for years but there are a few basics that made a big difference. Rule #1 Stop lying, especially to yourself. Emotions are messy and temporary. Ignoring them, they will go away taking happiness, contentment and joy with them. I needed to invite and accept the emotions I was feeling. The easiest emotion I could recognize was anger. After several months my counselor got me to recognize and acknowledge anger in my life. Behind anger hid hurt, fear and frustration. I felt negative emotions first. That was a major bummer time. He helped me understand I had to clear out infected wounds before healing could begin. I learned from Froglogic to embrace the suck. Then hope, happiness, and joy crept in behind all the uglies. I can’t describe the amazement of sitting in my car in rush hour traffic and feeling joy flood my body. I wanted open my car window and sing at the top of my lungs. It didn’t last but that was ok because emotions don’t last, they are changing constantly. I allow myself to feel my feelings, all of them. However, I decide which ones stick around and which ones I request to move on. Feelings changed my black and white world to technicolor.