Bit #28: Finding That Girl~All Emotions are real

Little Life Lesson and Bit of Grace 28: Mad is still an emotion

{Editor's Note: This week's Finding That Girl column from Whitney is so honest and true. All emotions are real and need to be worked through. Sometimes it take a while to "wipe the smile off our face" and the same goes for those not so happy and rosy emotions. We spend time telling our children that it's alright to be mad and sad when things don't go just their way, but as we move in to adulthood, the common mantra is "get over it." While I agree that it is more fun to be happy, all emotions are a process...Thanks Whitney for making us realize that it's ok! We love you!}

Thanks to everyone for their sweet comments on last week's post and in my email inbox. I love the title that Mrs. Molly Lou gave the post.

Sometimes it really is best to take a leap of faith.I had a post all planned to write and then all of the sudden it seemed irrelevant to me. Suddenly all I wanted to do was pout and whine about my work situation. While I don't condone 24/7 whining and pouting, I can tell you that I learned a lesson this week about that very thing.

What was the lesson?

Glad you asked.

GET MAD.

That's the lesson.

GET MAD.

You read right. Yell, scream, cry, whine, throw a pity party for 100 people....do whatever it is you need to do to move past the situation and get on with your life.

We hear all the time, "be grateful for what you have" and "it can always get worse" and "lot's of people have it a lot worse than you."

And I agree. I agree 1000%.

BUT, should we not show emotion? Should we not be honest about what we're feeling? EVERYONE gets mad and when you try and hide that anger or hurt it only turns into resentment - which is even worse. I've heard so many times, "there's no point in getting angry." Now that statement I couldn't agree with less. There is most certainly a point in getting angry. When you mask your emotions and don't address them, you can almost count on the fact that you will be dealing with your issue for a lot longer than you have to.

That's why I knew that when I was so angry last week about everything that was going on, I just had to be that way for a while. I knew if I tried to push those feelings down they wouldn't go away, rather they would get bigger.

Now let's be clear here. I'm not saying you should go slam your fist through a door, slam your head against the wall or punch anyone in the face (although I can't tell you how many times this week I've wanted to punch my boss, I mean someone this week). Rather, just let yourself go through the healing process. Don't force yourself to not be mad or hurt - let it happen. Because ultimately, the natural emotion is much healthier than the forced one.

I'm still slightly angry. I can't help it, but I'm moving on and understanding that there is nothing I can do but be proactive about the situation I'm in. Had you told me to feel that way on Monday of this week I might have done one of the things in the former paragraph because I needed the time to just be plain mad. And that is something we all need from time to time.

Love,

Whitney