What do Feelings feel like?

Ok – weird right?  Feelings actually feel like something? When I began this journey of awareness, I wanted to feel better.  I was told that is one thing awareness brings…feeling better. I get to feel my feelings…better. That is I’d get to feel my anger better, my joy better, my sadness better, my love better etc? Not quite what I had in mind but there you go!

 I heard the Dali Lama talk a number of years ago.  His take on it was that working towards enlightenment was not about coming to a state of equilibrium in terms of feeling states, but being able to navigate all the feelings, the ups and the downs, the good and the so called bad, with greater skill. That would be a cool thing eh?

So let’s have a look at a few feelings….

Anxiety- I have heard that breathing is the only difference between anxiety and excitement, which can feel pretty much the same on a body level…right?...breathy, heart racing, sweaty palm kind of feelings. So it’s good to experiment with your breath when you think you are experiencing anxiety, which by the way, is often accompanied by thoughts about the future.   So some nice deep breaths into your belly can ground that feeling into excitement. Wild…I relate to it…it can work.

Fear- can manifest as the hair standing up on the back of your neck, or nausea, or butterflies, depending on the circumstance.  Fear which is actually a manifestation of being in danger is more likely the hair thing, and something to take notice of.  Butterfly fear is probably something that can be worked with – like fear of presenting, fear of conflict (yep I really should have that conversation!) or fear of heights.  Not necessarily rational but a real and a physical feeling all the same.  

Anger –mmm for me, it’s very upwards, very hot.  If I look back on times of feeling angry, there was also a tingling feeling on my skin and a feeling of a bursting of energy that needs releasing somehow. I’ve been told this is another feeling that can be re-directed by breathing and grounding it into motivation, into a positive healthy action.

Joy - is also an upward and outwards feeling.  Lighter and more expansive than anger.  Less hot and more light – if that’s a description?...and you’d probably be having a grin from ear to ear!

Love…love…love.  What does love feel like? For me I relate to an actual expansiveness in my chest, like an opening of a flower except bigger. Maaaaawww …yep it’s a beautiful mushy feeling alright.

What are some of your feelings and what do they feel like for you?

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