Strength in Stillness

Over the next few weeks or so I’m thrilled to be partnering up with Special K to talk all things strength.

As such, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what strength means. This post looks at my latest personal exploration of strength through sitting with and ‘feeling’ emotions – riding it out. 

Biggest life lesson lately?

Being whole is being open to the full range of human emotions.

My whole life I’ve been the master of suppression, pushing down any negative emotions because that’s what I was taught as a kid when I’d fall off the horse (literally) and my Mum would brush me off, ignore my fear of riding (as well as my complete dis-interest in it) and tell me to suck it up and get back on.

Numerous break ups were brushed over by numbing through ‘busy’ and getting on with it like nothing ever happened.

Although my beautiful and loving mother was only doing what she knew best – and what she herself was taught – and although I was dealing with heartbreak in the only way I knew how, it wasn’t necessarily healthy.

IN fact, it turned into harmful things like anxiety, an eating disorder and adrenal fatigue.

But perhaps the most harmful of all was that it disconnects you with yourself and with others.

Because here’s the thing;

When we numb out the so-called ‘bad feelings’ we’re also choosing to (often unconsciously) numb out all of the vivid, exciting and joyous emotions.

That’s just the deal and the way the universe works.

So the lesson for me has been to sit with the discomfort and instead of distracting and numbing through food, work and television, I choose to do nothing but ‘feel’.

It’s hard. It’s often painful.

But on the other side are sharper feelings of joy, love, clarity, understanding and huge growth.

Try it.

Next time you have a painful thought or emotion come up, see if you can sit with it and feel it though.

Strength means different things to everybody, what does it mean to you? Answer below or jump onto my Facebook page and join the discussion.