Acknowledging Our Feelings - Winner's Circle Network - 6/11/12

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Winner's Circle Network - 6/11/12 - "Acknowledging Our Feelings" What happens when you feel an emotion but refuse to admit it? Maybe more than you think. >From the time we were children, most of us have been taught that it's OK to express certain feelings but not others. We learned to hide emotions that made other people uncomfortable or that somehow put us in a less than favorable light. It was OK to feel grateful but not angry, OK to feel confident but not scared, OK to defer to our parents but not to question them, etc.

Sometimes we even learned to hide these unacceptable feelings from ourselves. We feel frightened of social contact, but deny it and pretend boredom. We feel hurt and rejected, but deny it and call it anger. We feel resentful of abusive behavior but deny it, and call it a successful relationship because we believe we need it to survive. But unacknowledged feelings almost always cause trouble. We may be able to stuff them down inside temporarily, but they invariably find another escape route. Unacknowledged feelings will often manifest themselves in physical ways - in backaches, headaches, ulcers, or other more serious illnesses. What were you taught about feelings as a child? Now that you're older, perhaps you'd like to learn what others have to say. Try reading Bradshaw on shame, or Seligman on depression and optimism, or Harriet Lerner on anger, for starters. An abundance of literature is available on the effects of

suppressed anger, for example. Then, take the time to make up your own mind. The Pacific Institutewww.thepacificinstitute.com The effects of The Pacific Institute's education are reverberating around the world. For weekly updates, go to www.TPIGlobalNews.com To view past Winner's Circle messages, or make changes to your subscription, or unsubscribe, go to web site http://mailman.wolfe.net/mailman/listinfo/wcnFor any problems, please email rschau@... The Pacific Institute, Inc. copyrights 1997-2012. All rights reserved.Winner's Circle Network (WCN) is a registered trademark of The Pacific Institute. Code 061112_______________________________________________Wcn mailing

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