Love is the answer...
Love is the answer
I started on the path to love myself years ago. I have used different tools, and learning to meet all my complexities, all my feelings, my past mistakes, my past traumas with love and compassion has been the one that changed who I am and how I show up in the world. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a practice. I’m still learning how to feel my feelings, especially the ones that have been buried so deep for so long.
My entire life I lived in resistance to “negative” feelings. Always be happy, be positive, no on likes a frowny face were ideas that I was inundated with. After nearly 47 years of pushing down my feelings it took months to learn how to feel and it is still a practice to meet them with compassion and love. I still find myself sitting with my feelings so I can “fix” them (sounds great, and it’s resistance and judgement). I then get to laugh and choose to simply love the feeling as well as the resistance and judgement. As I do this, whatever is coming up will melt away. Every time. I’ve done this with everything from difficult feelings and memories from my childhood to really wanting to eat some sugar. It’s always amazing to me to see how allowing myself to feel that way will deflate whatever is blocking me from where I want to be and who I really am.
Sitting in acceptance with my feelings is a practice. It’s not always easy, and it’s not uncommon for me to realize that I am sitting in expectation that the feeling will move. One tool that has helped me, especially when dealing with parts of myself I have made a habit of judging is to view myself or the person I’m frustrated with as a child. What would I say to a 5 year old who was feeling that way or acting that way? Can I see my hurt inner child or the other person’s inner child? Can I honor that that little child is simply trying to survive and possibly just needs love? As I sit and love that little girl or boy I feel myself healing, the patterns falling away, and lightness replace the heaviness in my body.
Here is the challenge for the day. Play! Skip, turn in circles, dance, do whatever that little kid in you wants to do. Allow yourself to laugh and feel the joy of this life, even if it’s just for 5 minutes. I triple dog dare you!
Much love,
Jules
