Over the past few years – for obvious reasons – mental health has been even more impacted by the thoughts and the influence we allow to filter through our minds. This season of life has been a call to listen and to learn in a myriad of ways as the unknown leads each of us to pause and to gain strength from authentic sources. I’ve felt a call – a call to respond, engage, and love.
We are being drawn to know when to turn off social media, TV news, opinions of others, and yet also know when to turn it on and listen and learn from those sources. Within all the unknown and changes, emotions are high and the ability to receive self-care is an intentional fight. When emotions take hold, it takes an engagement of heart and mind to discern which ones need to keep your attention and if they will be harmful or helpful for you. This season has been learning how to take the daily hit of emotions and be able to receive them and engage in positive ways toward myself and others through the range of them all.
As positive and negative emotions flow through our thoughts, what if feelings of inadequacy and the like are actually a call to engage in the world around us from a different place?
Our emotions can be a gauge to test ourselves, but they are not a defining factor of where we remain mentally. They help us project better version of ourselves, and we get to choose what we do with our emotions.
What if these feelings and emotions are an invitation to – a call – ENGAGE, RESPOND, & LOVE.
Ask yourself these questions- What am I Feeling? Is this a call to engage, respond, and love?
Oftentimes, these types of emotions leave us questioning our value, our worth, and our call to participate in the world around us. If we see emotions as a way to respond to ourselves in a way that engages love both outward and inward, then we have an opportunity to grow and to invest through positive impact.
You hold a unique purpose, and your ability to be true to who you are as you nurture your mind, body, and soul from your strengths – as well as your weaknesses – is a beautiful act of kindness in this world.
Take a look at the list below. Can you identify with feeling any of these? Identify your best YES, and choose the investment of the accompanying feelings and emotions wisely .
- Afterthought – Practice gratitude
- Misplaced – Seek purpose
- Short Stick – Invest in a skill
- Untold – Share a story with someone in need
- Gap Heavy – Find a place to advocate, and build a bridge between people
- Aching – Choose self-care
- Longing – Walk a path on a peaceful landscape
- Disconnected – Check on someone, and ask how they are doing
- Without – Add value to yourself or learn something new
- Silent – Journal; write out your heart in words
- Self-Loathing – Write out your blessings
- Pity Party – Throw a party to honor someone else
- Not Enough – Speak kindness, and share generosity with a hurting heart
- Disqualified – Listen to a strengthening podcast, or connect with a class or your community
- Angry – Take time to look deeper; advocate for yourself or others
- Sadness – Focus on quiet reflection, and give yourself space to simply just be – without expectations
You can write out a list of emotions you are facing and ask yourself if this is a call to ENGAGE, RESPOND, and/or LOVE yourself or others in a different way and give yourself the space to let them fuel you with strength over defeat.
