Feeling the FEELS

Whether you go for sugar, porn, work, smokes, shopping, exercise, making to do lists or checking Facebook, we ALL need to feel good.  While those (and all the other quick fixes) give us the feeling of joy, they're only mimicking true joy, which is the feeling that someone is REALLY glad to be with us.  

The quick fix doesn't last and doesn't really meet our deeper needs (ask us how we know!!!).

When we grow up learning we're loved only when we "behave" a certain way, learning to feel our own feelings can be a bit of a struggle.  

If we don't know how to feel our own feelings around safe people, then we often stuff them or do other things to help us shove those feelings away.  Temporary fixes (addictions) do the trick in the short term.

According to one very smart guy, every single addiction is rooted in the inability to regulate one of the six right brained emotions.

The good news?  If we've reached a certain level of maturity*, we can learn how to feel our own feelings!!!!  

They are:  

1. Shame (the soul kind which is similar to feeling embarrassed)

2. Anger

3. Hopeless Despair (sadness)

4. Fear

5.  Disgust

6.  Joy

If you've reached the second level of maturity*, you can learn & build those pathways in your brain.   Discover your maturity level here.  

The reason I believe it's true and am sharing this with you is because God designed our brains to feel all six of those feelings and get back to peace/shalom within ninety seconds by the time we're four years old.

(I know...right???  AMAZING!!!  And a bit depressing....)

SO...since you and I are a bit older than that, WE CAN LEARN TO DO THIS TOO!!!  I'm learning how, and hubby is learning and so are the beautiful children we have the honor of loving and rearing.

Honestly?  It's work and it's tiring just like the work it takes to help toddlers learn to deal with life.  Lots of naps and hot cocoa are needed...but it's DOABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sharing this series of videos which hubby and I have really gotten a LOT out of of.   

You'll hear a WHOLE LOT of information.  If you make it all the way through to the final video, you'll find whopping, juicy PAIN LAB techniques to help yourself learn to feel this stuff rather than reaching for something that is only going to give you fake joy for a short time, leaving you empty and still wanting that special something.

Here's to discovering God's glad to be with us no matter what we're feeling!

Here's also to us learning to love each other no matter what we're feeling so we can reach toward Him and each other when we're feeling stuff rather than isolating in shame, etc.

YOU ROCK.

Here's the link to the smart guy's videos.  Be blessed.  You're LOVED.  Seriously.

Hugs and big feeling blessings to you!
~Kate