I\u2019ve heard it said like this: emotions are our body’s initial reaction, and feelings are how we interpret or label our emotions. I agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we\u2019re triggered, our emotions flare up quickly. Often resulting in behavior that\u2019s not rooted in consciousness. In other words, we respond in the heat of the moment, without giving our response any thought. Feelings come later. They follow our emotions and they are based in consciousness. Our faith, beliefs, values, past experiences, etc., inform our feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God created us with emotions. It was humans that gave some of those emotions negative connotations, but our emotions in and of themselves are not negative or sinful. It’s in how we choose to express them that make them negative or sinful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to move away from this notion that a Christian\u2019s display of any emotion other than love or appreciation is an indictment on their faith. It\u2019s the craziest thing. As if the presence of anger, pain, sadness, frustration, feel in the blank, means the absence of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bible says there\u2019s a time for everything. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. There are times when people are hurting and experiencing real pain – and they often suffer in silence because they\u2019re misunderstood when they express their pain. I know that was true for me. But pain and faith are not mutually exclusive. They can coexist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emotions buried alive never die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a lot of Christians suffering in silence. But they have to look like they\u2019ve got it all together to hopefully escape any judgment or criticism from other Christians. Meanwhile a quiet storm is wreaking havoc inside. So we say we\u2019re OK when we\u2019re really not, because now we\u2019ve adopted the belief that faith means to lie about how we feel and display only positive emotions and feelings. It\u2019s complete deception. Because if you don\u2019t acknowledge how you\u2019re really feeling and seek to understand your emotions, you will never be able to experience the freedom of emotional health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And healthy does not always mean positive. Accept that it\u2019s OK to not be OK sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be emotionally healthy means being in control of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a way that supports your overall well-being and relationships. It doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re happy all the time, and you never feel negative emotions. It means you can handle life\u2019s ups and downs with resilience, by faith and through grace – and with awareness and balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my quest to understand human behavior and its relationship to holistic alignment, I came across some key traits necessary for emotional health, which I\u2019ll highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be emotionally healthy, you need to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your emotional health matters. It influences your mental health, physical health, and quality of life. And it helps you make wise decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emotions buried alive never die. That doesn\u2019t mean to let your emotions or your feelings lead you. We\u2019re to be led by the Spirit of God. The takeaway here is to get the emotions out of your body. Express yourself, but in healthy ways. That can be through honest prayer, worship, journaling, talking to a trusted friend or support group, or other creative outlets like writing poetry, art, or music. Release your emotions constructively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not in ways that will cause you to sin and have to go back to somebody and ask them for forgiveness\u2026if your pride will let you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God cares about you in totality, meaning your whole self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So give yourself permission to feel, heal, and grow without shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The inner work is the most important work. This isn’t about never telling anyone who has hurt you, wronged you, or offended you in some way how you feel. It’s about practicing awareness, seeking to understand, and surrendering your emotional health to God. Learning when to exercise restraint and when to speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re triggered because of our programming. Having hard conversations can be tough. The truth is the truth, no matter how we feel about it. And yet delivery is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes it’s not what the person said or did. It’s that’s they\u2019re challenging our beliefs, our stories, our operating system, and that caused us to glitch. Not every belief we have and not every story we’ve created is true. We tend to entertain limited ideas, which leads to self-sabotage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other times it is about what the person said or did and you need to handle that situation accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Either way, it’s an opportunity to examine yourself and determine, is this something I need to work out in me? Is this a me and God issue? Did my ego just take a hit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or is this something I need to address with the other person? \u00a0It could be both. And the answer is it depends. But that’s the work you need to commit to doing. Always start with God. Take everything to Him. \u00a0He knows what you need, and He’ll help you make wiser decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sis, I encourage you to surrender all. Commit to the inner work and allow God to restore and transform you from the inside out. It\u2019s about surrender and permission so you can experience freedom and peace not only in your emotional health, but in every area of your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve heard it said like this: emotions are our body’s initial reaction, and feelings are how we interpret or label our emotions. I agree. When we\u2019re triggered, our emotions flare up quickly. Often resulting in behavior that\u2019s not rooted in consciousness. In other words, we respond in the heat of the moment, without giving our response any thought. Feelings come later. They follow our emotions… <\/p>\n