Negative Emotions

Negative emotions. Is there such a thing? I've thought so my whole life. Sad? Negative. Angry? Negative. You get the point. I'm always angling for the positive ones. Happy? Positive. Content? Positive. You get the point.

As more research and teaching comes out with regards to emotions, we are learning that they are informative. They tell us our values. They tell us when boundaries have been crossed. They tells us if we've been hurt.

This season of my life has a higher ratio of "negative" to "positive" emotions than what I would like. These emotions are challenging enough to deal with without me also holding the belief that I should be able to control, mitigate, and absolve them. It is commonly said now in therapeutic settings: the only way past is through. Along with other phrases such as: you can't rush healing and it will take as long as it needs.

I have been learning to trust my gut, my intuition, and my body more. This coincides with me learning from these emotions I perceive as harder. I'm learning how my anger can motivate me to action and help me to set and maintain boundaries to promote healing and healthy living that I wouldn't otherwise have the gumption to enact and uphold. My sadness points to loss - something to be grieved and attended to, something to give tenderness towards. And there are so many types of loss - lost hopes, change, lost dreams, loss of relationship, loss of status, loss of physical capacity, loss of tradition, loss of income, loss of a job or home, and so on. The sadness points towards wounds in us that require lovingkindness, gentleness, and care.

My emotions are so informative. If they persist, if they are intense, if they rocket around, it is an invitation to slow down, to take care of myself, to be curious. That's not ever a negative thing! Thank you emotions for teaching me.

-esb