teddiebears
11-19-2008, 03:15 AM
Hello everyone!!
It's still cold here but no measurable snow yet, so that's a plus in my book. :)
My best friend's 31 year old son died Nov. 8 in AZ. Tonight there was a memorial service for him here. Sadly, he had been a drug user and a drinker since his teens and was constantly getting into trouble with the law. They thought he was 'clean' now, but it sounds like he was still taking prescription painkillers and possibly something else. :( An autopsy was performed in AZ but all they know right now is that he had a heart attack. They won't get the full report for 45-90 days so it's hard to know if he took some drugs that caused his heart to stop, or if it was something else that caused it.
Here's a reading for today -
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go
Accepting Our Feelings
Why do we struggle so with our feelings? Why do we work so hard to deny our emotions, especially concerning other people? They are only feelings!
In the course of a day, we may deny we feel frustrated in reaction to someone who is selling us a service.
We may deny that we feel frustrated, angry, or hurt in reaction to a friend.
We may deny feelings of fear, or anger, toward our children.
We may deny a whole range of feelings toward our spouse or the person with whom we're in a love relationship.
We may deny feelings provoked by people we work for, or by people who work for us.
Sometimes the feelings are a direct reaction to others. Sometimes people trigger something deeper - an old sadness or frustration.
Regardless of the source of our feelings, they are still our feelings. We own them. And acceptance is often all that is necessary to make them go away.
We don't have to let our feelings control our behavior. We don't have to act on each feeling that passes through us. We do not need to indulge in inappropriate behavior.
It does help to talk about our feelings with someone we trust. Sometimes we need to bring our feelings to the person who is triggering them. That can breed intimacy and closeness. But the most important person we need to tell is ourselves. If we allow our feelings to pass through us, accept them, and release them, we shall know what to do next.
Today, I will remember that feelings are an important part of my life. I will be open to my feelings in family life, in friendships, in love, and at work. I will feel my feelings without judging myself.
~~~~~~~~
This reading struck home for me because my friend was being very 'detached' at the memorial service. I know it was a defense mechanism to give her the strength to make it through the night but it brought to mind how we all shut out our feelings sometimes. For myself, I know that shutting out my feelings has often been the cause of high levels of stress in my life. :(
I need to keep in mind that I'm entitled to my feelings and that I can accept them without acting inappropriately and without judging myself too harshly.
It's still cold here but no measurable snow yet, so that's a plus in my book. :)
My best friend's 31 year old son died Nov. 8 in AZ. Tonight there was a memorial service for him here. Sadly, he had been a drug user and a drinker since his teens and was constantly getting into trouble with the law. They thought he was 'clean' now, but it sounds like he was still taking prescription painkillers and possibly something else. :( An autopsy was performed in AZ but all they know right now is that he had a heart attack. They won't get the full report for 45-90 days so it's hard to know if he took some drugs that caused his heart to stop, or if it was something else that caused it.
Here's a reading for today -
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go
Accepting Our Feelings
Why do we struggle so with our feelings? Why do we work so hard to deny our emotions, especially concerning other people? They are only feelings!
In the course of a day, we may deny we feel frustrated in reaction to someone who is selling us a service.
We may deny that we feel frustrated, angry, or hurt in reaction to a friend.
We may deny feelings of fear, or anger, toward our children.
We may deny a whole range of feelings toward our spouse or the person with whom we're in a love relationship.
We may deny feelings provoked by people we work for, or by people who work for us.
Sometimes the feelings are a direct reaction to others. Sometimes people trigger something deeper - an old sadness or frustration.
Regardless of the source of our feelings, they are still our feelings. We own them. And acceptance is often all that is necessary to make them go away.
We don't have to let our feelings control our behavior. We don't have to act on each feeling that passes through us. We do not need to indulge in inappropriate behavior.
It does help to talk about our feelings with someone we trust. Sometimes we need to bring our feelings to the person who is triggering them. That can breed intimacy and closeness. But the most important person we need to tell is ourselves. If we allow our feelings to pass through us, accept them, and release them, we shall know what to do next.
Today, I will remember that feelings are an important part of my life. I will be open to my feelings in family life, in friendships, in love, and at work. I will feel my feelings without judging myself.
~~~~~~~~
This reading struck home for me because my friend was being very 'detached' at the memorial service. I know it was a defense mechanism to give her the strength to make it through the night but it brought to mind how we all shut out our feelings sometimes. For myself, I know that shutting out my feelings has often been the cause of high levels of stress in my life. :(
I need to keep in mind that I'm entitled to my feelings and that I can accept them without acting inappropriately and without judging myself too harshly.