Meeting Uncomfortable Feelings
The Floods Again – Meeting Uncomfortable Feelings
A few weeks ago the town I live in flooded. It was the 3rd big flood in the last 8 years. When I heard the news I felt a combination of sadness, despair and anger.
My wife and I were not affected by the flood, thankfully, although many friends and local businesses have been. So on the day I heard I was feeling these powerful emotions.
So today I thought I would share the importance of facing and feeling the emotions that arise in life, especially for us as men for we often do not take the time to acknowledge or feel them.
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A few weeks ago on Monday morning I started to receive messages from family and friends about the floods and from the local Scout group as the Scout hut where I volunteer flooded. The town seemed to have been as badly hit as 3 years ago and the Scout hut was under 2 feet of water. We were badly flooded last time and it took us many months to recover.
And as I looked at these images and texts I felt a deep sense of sadness.
Sadness that the floods have happened again.
Despair that we have to clean up again.
Anger... well I won't go into why I feel angry for this is not the point of this post. But acknowledging that yes, I feel angry.
What I wanted to share was that sometimes I forget to meet these emotions. Sometimes I can brush them aside and get on with what I am doing.
Sometimes I can get on with helping or doing but instead of it coming from an open-hearted place I can come across as angry or shut down.
So on that Monday morning I spent a few minutes walking back and forth feeling this feeling of sadness/ anger/ despair at what happened and what was unfolding.
And as I walked back and forth the tears started to flow and I felt my heart starting to open to what was happening.
As I dropped into my heart I felt a deep sense of compassion for what many of my community would be going through. And as I felt deeper into it I could see how I wanted to be of support to them in whatever way I could.
And rather coming from anger or sorrow I could meet them with an open heart.
So my invitation to you as a man if you have strong emotions coming up is to meet them. Meet them and feel them. By meeting them I mean to breathe and acknowledge what you feel. By meeting them I mean to take the time to feel before engaging in life or just getting on with things. For when you do you will come from a more open-hearted place and find the best way of helping others and yourself.
Sending the wish that may all beings be well,
Piers
My wife and I were not affected by the flood, thankfully, although many friends and local businesses have been. So on the day I heard I was feeling these powerful emotions.
So today I thought I would share the importance of facing and feeling the emotions that arise in life, especially for us as men for we often do not take the time to acknowledge or feel them.
---
A few weeks ago on Monday morning I started to receive messages from family and friends about the floods and from the local Scout group as the Scout hut where I volunteer flooded. The town seemed to have been as badly hit as 3 years ago and the Scout hut was under 2 feet of water. We were badly flooded last time and it took us many months to recover.
And as I looked at these images and texts I felt a deep sense of sadness.
Sadness that the floods have happened again.
Despair that we have to clean up again.
Anger... well I won't go into why I feel angry for this is not the point of this post. But acknowledging that yes, I feel angry.
What I wanted to share was that sometimes I forget to meet these emotions. Sometimes I can brush them aside and get on with what I am doing.
Sometimes I can get on with helping or doing but instead of it coming from an open-hearted place I can come across as angry or shut down.
So on that Monday morning I spent a few minutes walking back and forth feeling this feeling of sadness/ anger/ despair at what happened and what was unfolding.
And as I walked back and forth the tears started to flow and I felt my heart starting to open to what was happening.
As I dropped into my heart I felt a deep sense of compassion for what many of my community would be going through. And as I felt deeper into it I could see how I wanted to be of support to them in whatever way I could.
And rather coming from anger or sorrow I could meet them with an open heart.
So my invitation to you as a man if you have strong emotions coming up is to meet them. Meet them and feel them. By meeting them I mean to breathe and acknowledge what you feel. By meeting them I mean to take the time to feel before engaging in life or just getting on with things. For when you do you will come from a more open-hearted place and find the best way of helping others and yourself.
Sending the wish that may all beings be well,
Piers
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