Feelings Are Barometers

 

http://www.LoveOverFear.blogspot.com

An affirmation for adult children of alcoholics:

I accept all my emotions and natural expressions. Feelings are a part of my nature. Sometimes my feelings are wonderful—sometimes my feelings are painful. Whatever they are, my feelings are vital and essential in expressing the complete me.  

I am a tapestry—an artistic expression of God. The colorful threads that make up this work of art are my emotions. Today I will stand back and view this masterpiece with its many richly blended threads, and I will accept it completely and uncritically.

Today I appreciate that my emotions and color and depth to my life.

I’ve often said that we are entitled to our emotions. We can’t help emotions from rising up. Emotions are feelings and feelings come from thoughts. Emotions remind us we are human, and we ride the ups and downs each hour of every day, sometimes minute-by-minute. Pain and sadness make us cry; humor, joy and laughter make us happy. It’s really as simple as that: we feel, and our bodies react.

Feelings also become thoughts and that means that we have a way to alter our thoughts a little.

I’m in love with the idea of neuroplasicity. We have a way out of our mental torment! We have a way to change the recording and what we tell ourselves. We are able to let the past be the past, and not keep sneaking its way into our future.

Most of us probably feel a lot of pain growing up with alcoholic parents. From the confusing feelings of abandonment to the short-lived relief of love, those rare times our parents actually did bring us into their arms or showed up at our recitals or ball games.

We often didn’t know whether we were coming or going. Life was unpredictable, and unbalanced.