Write Down Your Feelings!
I feel…
Today give yourself permission to write out your feelings whatever they are. Don’t be afraid to put them on paper. Here’s why:
“Symptoms like anxiety and depression, which are on the rise in the U.S., can stem from the way we deal with these underlying, automatic, hard-wired survival emotions, which are biological forces that should not be ignored. When the mind thwarts the flow of emotions because they are too overwhelming or too conflicting, it puts stress on the mind and the body, creating psychological distress and symptoms. Emotional stress, like that from blocked emotions, has not only been linked to mental ills, but also to physical problems like heart disease, intestinal problems, headaches, insomnia and autoimmune disorders.” –time.com
Yikes! How many of us women have or do suffer from depression and anxiety? (Raising my hand here). How many of us women give ourselves permission to feel our feelings? Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying we should go around acting on whatever we are feeling, I’m saying we should acknowledge our feelings. Don’t “thwart the flow of emotions because they are overwhelming”, it can lead down a path of unhealthy living. So for today, we’re going to write down our feelings. Just let them pour out of your hand onto the page. Tomorrow, we’ll work on owning our feelings.
Trigger warning: if you have never let yourself acknowledge your feelings, this exercise may be overwhelming. Find a trusted friend (or your spouse) to pray with you before, during, or after you write in your journal.