Feelings Are Normal

 I'm having a day today.  You know, one of those days where it seems anything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. Well, if you're a believer in the law of attraction, and I am; then you know that once you get a certain vibe going you are going to continue to attract things at that vibration.

I had frustration over one thing, which led to another and so on, and so on.  I was working in my yard and got over heated, which led to a terrible headache, and I was overtired, which is never a good combination for my mood.  In the middle of all of this I had a business situation where I did not feel heard. I felt angry and irritated.  

I took a shower and nap to recover from the heat and headache. Upon waking up I was still super frustrated and then began to feel sad. A few hours later I was no longer angry or frustrated over the situation as it was beginning to resolve itself, but I was left with this sense of sadness. A feeling that halted me in my steps and forced me to observe it.

You see, I'm no stranger to depression and anxiety.  It is a battle I have faced my entire life.  I have found ways to manage it, but it will always be a part of my life that I have to be wary of.  Unfortunately, because of this and the way society is today, when I'm having a normal response to a situation; I immediately begin to think, "Oh no, am I becoming depressed?" 

So as I began to observe the sadness, I realized I was having a perfectly normal response to everything that has transpired in my life over the past few weeks.  Our family is mourning a loss, so there is a sadness in our home and through out our extended family. As an Empath, I am always feeling those around me, when it's in my household those feelings are even stronger.  The frustrations and anger I was feeling about the other situations were 100% valid, but those feelings can also leave a feeling of sadness as they dissipate from the body.  

Knowing that my feelings of sadness are a completely normal response to life allows me to feel them.  I am not going to try to push through the feelings.  I won't try to occupy myself by staying busy until they pass.  I will feel them and know it's ok.  

I think as a society we are too quick to name everything as depression, that we no longer normalize natural feelings.  However I also believe that mental illness is still stigmatized and that's why so many people do not get the help they so desperately need, so there is the double edged sword.  It's as if as a society people aren't allowed to have any feelings other than happy or angry at the world.  Those are the two emotions that seem to be acceptable, I would say that's probably the base for so many problems today.

So please, if you're feeling any type of way, stop and look at your feelings.  What triggered them?  You may just find that it is a completely normal biological response to the situation.  If you find that it's not, if you've been sad for more than two weeks for no reason, if you're angry all the time, please, reach out for help.

Much love,

Melanie