“Two Seconds of Sadness…Sometimes that’s all it takes!”
“If you do not transform your pain, you will most assuredly transmit it."
Richard Rohr
As we come to the close of 2020, I invite you to a practice I know as Let it Out and CHEER. Before you can "let it out", it being your anger, or pain, or disappointments, you acknowledge and accept them. My default for a long time has been to try to change or deny feelings altogether. The result was a cycle of more pain and pain inflicted on others in my attempt to rid myself of it.
Acceptance, especially of what we don't have control over, allows us to eventually move beyond. This is also true of accepting and acknowledging others without attempting to fix, to change, or to minimize someone’s situation. As a friend shared with me in a recent phone call, “Two seconds of sadness is all I needed and wanted.” Truly listen to your feelings and genuinely listen to others.
Once recognized, our feelings or those of others – especially the difficult ones (the "Let it Out") then we can CHEER, being open to the silver linings, the benefits. This process can’t be forced. It’s often preceded by a time of not embracing the pain and realizing the results, that you can reap the benefits of sincerely acknowledging those uncomfortable feelings. It’s freeing!
For more insight on acceptance, I encourage you to read this article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201508/how-acceptance-can-transform-your-life.
Contact me: pathways2tlc@gmail.com to set up a workshop.
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