Flow: Feelings

I don't know about you, but I keep encountering people on the edge of emotion. They are quick to anger, easy to be hurt or cause hurt. They come by those feelings honestly.

The fact is that times are hard and this is unsettling to many. It is also true that we as a society make very little space for the healthy expression of emotion for both men and women.

Here's the thing. Emotions are always present whether we acknowledge them or not. Human systems are emotional. Humans are emotional -- it is built into the physiology and cannot be excised.

The invitation today is simple and hard. It has two parts: 1. Invite yourself to see and express what you are feeling. 2. Invite someone else to express what they are feeling. Create a safe container for both of these things where you observe, listen, and acknowledge. This isn't about processing anything it is about release. Importantly, you are probably not a therapist so don't feel like you should advise.

When we can normalize expressing emotions, without attacking ourselves or others, we will have begun the repair of the human systems within which we live and work.

ps: Yelling into the void is a thing and it feels great when you need to. Just grab a pillow (for muffling) so you don't scare your neighbors and make sure you support that yell with your breath.