On the path to personal healing and transformation, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to acknowledge your feelings. Every moment of every day, you experience emotions. It’s very important to become aware of these feelings, to monitor them and be open about them.
When you’re aware of your feelings, allowing yourself to register them, you recognize opportunities to communicate more effectively. When you experience uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, uneasiness, anger or frustration, tension and stress will compound if you isolate and keep everything to yourself. Confiding in someone you trust and describing what you’re feeling will provide a relief valve for the tension and stress. The situation may call for a talk with a therapist or counselor. The important thing is that you communicate with another human being rather than pushing the negative emotion down, hiding it deep inside, and letting it fester.
As you continue to become aware of and to observe your own feelings, you gradually develop your ability to switch gears and replace a negative emotion with a positive one. For instance, if you find yourself feeling lonely, acknowledge the feeling, then take contrary action by reaching out to others. Make a phone call, write someone a note, go out and find other people to hang out with. Exercise is a speedy, effective way to dispel negative emotion.
On the plus side, acknowledge your positive feelings as well. When you find yourself feeling joy, gratitude, enthusiasm, or love, take a moment to celebrate it. Luxuriate in the good feeling you are experiencing, and watch it increase exponentially. Then pass on some of the good energy to another person, and in this way you will actively propagate the good. Why hesitate to express how much you love, respect or appreciate another person? Pass it on. You’ll probably be pleased with the results.