Feelings Rule!

I love a good hike! Hiking connects me to nature, to balance and to the simple things in life. While hiking, I feel more fully engaged in the moment. I love the song by Matthew West, The Motions. The words are as follows: "This might hurt, it's not safe but I know that I've gotta make a change. I don't care if I break, at least I'll be feeling something. Just okay is not enough, help me fight through the nothingness of life. I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day, without your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't want to spend my whole life asking, what if I had given everything.... instead of going through the motions." This song say's it so beautifully. Who hasn't gone through the motions at some point in their lives? We all have. Dare I say that many people are sleep walking thru their lives. The song by Matthew West is about spirituality but also reminds me of a higher calling and waking up, feeling and wanting more. While hiking, it's kinda tough to go through the motions. Hiking forces you to stay in each moment, to connect and feel every step that you take. It engages you physically on so may levels, like all forms of exercise. Perhaps that is why exercising is a natural anti-depressant. We are forced while hiking, running, etc, to give our minds some time off. Whenever I am hiking, if I start to think too much I either trip or my heart beating so fast pulls me back to the task at hand, to focus on the moment. We all live roles but are we feeling the moment...... and if so, what are we feeling? Feelings are what makes us human. It's pretty amazing to be human. As human beings we feel hurt, pain, sadness, joy, excitement, ecstasy, passion, love, fear and more. Much better to feel the array of emotions we have rather than feeling nothing at all. I counsel people day in and day out. They generally come to counseling in crisis with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The main problem is that they have been pushing down how they have really feeling for years. The symptoms of depression and anxiety wake them up! They usually look at me with surprise when I normalize what they are feeling and say, "you are just feeling, now it's time to sort out what you have really been feeling but pushing away." Like a child that tries to get their mom's attention with repeated verses of "mom", pulling on their shirt and whining until the child realizes mom is not paying attention and they head off to pull their sisters' hair. There, that got her attention! Symptoms are the wake up call, the screaming child within, trying to get your attention.... to wake up. Feelings are so natural yet we all have learned so many ways to suppress, deny and avoid them. In addition, people often don't want to really admit what they are feeling. To fully admit is to break the denial. If you admit you hate your life, then you feel helpless or worse, scared that you actually might want to change some things. Scarier yet though is to be dead inside, denying reality. What nature reminds me on a hike is that there is perfect balance, a spiritual dance of the elements, the animals, insects and the weather. Everything works in harmony. Once you start allowing your feelings to flow more naturally you can feel more in the moment like nature at any given moment. It just takes permission....you must consciously allow your feelings to flow forth like a waterfall flowing freely. The challenge, to not judge but observe what you are feeling. A good hike, walk, yoga, run or just sitting in nature can help you begin the process of allowing your emotions to unfold. There are no "bad" emotions. Just like a good rain washes away debris and nourishes the earth, a good cry can be very cleansing for the spirit. Once you just allow your feelings to flow, then begins the journey of self discovery.