My Brain's Not Broken

Several times a day, I’m reminded of how important it is to feel. I don’t mean to be happy or sad, nervous or stressed out. But I mean to feel, really feel, an emotion coming over me or an action that I’m taking. This might sound a little out there, or even simplistic, so I hope you can stick with me for this post. But today, I want to share how valuable it is to actually, really, truly feel your feelings.

I’d love to write about this topic on a more regular basis but to be honest, it can be hard to explain. At the least, hard to explain succinctly. I know some of you reading this might be thinking “yeah, of course it’s good to feel your feelings. That’s why they’re called feelings…” and I wouldn’t blame you. Feeling your feelings? It sounds like the most obvious thing in the world. But in response to that I also want to ask: if it’s so obvious, why is it so difficult to do?

That’s why today’s post isn’t so much an education as it is an attempt at an explanation. An explanation of the true value of feeling your feelings. Of experiencing them in a full way, an immersive way, in the most intentional way possible. Because even though it can be difficult or feel impossible at times, it’s very much worth it.

There is a lot of value in feeling your feelings (stay tuned for a future post on hearing it from the experts!), but today I want to share what it means to me. Like everyone, my mental health journey isn’t always easy. Sometimes I just want to give up and let my anxiety and depression win that day. It’s exhausting, it’s taxing and to be honest, I’m not always up to the task.

And in those moments, I do have trouble feeling. Whether it’s understanding or empathy for myself, sitting with those feelings is difficult. But I remember that I don’t always feel this way. I think back to a moment of a feeling or emotion where I felt so much like myself that it actually freaked me out a little. I remember that I have felt so many things in my lifetime, and I will feel them again.

To me, that’s the value of feeling, of sitting with your emotions and processing them in real time. Those moments remind me of what I need to continue on my journey. They remind me I’m a real person experiencing real things like everyone else. It might not sound like much, but it’s enough to get me to the next moment, and the one after that. And soon, it’ll get me to the next feeling, and I can once again experience the enormous value of being like myself.

Now, over to you! It’s difficult to try and understand the importance of my own feelings – would you agree? Is it easy to understand your own feelings, or do you feel like it’s a challenge? Let me know in the comments!