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How to use your emotions as your own personal guidance system

The Healing Power of Our Emotions

September 22, 20225 min read

Want to learn more about this topic? Click the link to listen to the full episode from my podcast, Coming Back to Life:

Coming Back to Life Podcast with Debbie O'Keefe

#3. Why we need to heal?

There’s no question that we are living in uncertain and tumultuous times. From job loss, poverty, divorce, death, illness and more, people everywhere are experiencing hardships and struggles beyond their understanding. So many are crying out and wondering, “WHY?” These feelings of grief and longing are understandable and unique in each human experience. There is no comparison of one situation to the other, and no one can claim that their pain or challenge is greater than the other.

As an empath, I am somewhat of an energetic and emotional antenna and feel at a very intense level. I experience my own pains and process my own emotions as well as those of others. For a long time, I found these emotions very overwhelming and at times, unbearable. But throughout my healing journey I’ve discovered that there are incredible gifts in the emotions we feel. Rather than succumbing to the overwhelm and helplessness of the emotions I experience, I have come to understand their power and purpose and rely upon them for the guidance and healing I seek each and every day.

Our emotions aren’t just feelings that make us feel “good” or “bad.” They’re indicators that guide us and show us whether or not we’re living our lives in alignment or in an opposing direction. They’re our “emotional guidance system” that help keep us moving in the direction we are destined to follow and on track for the life we are meant to live.

There are so many pearls of wisdom and golden nuggets of information stored in our emotions. When we are brave, ready and willing to give them the space, time and attention they want and so greatly deserve from us, we stand to learn a great deal about ourselves. Here are some of the most commonly felt emotions what we can learn from them:

  • Anger: A strong emotion that we most often experience when we feel that we have be wronged in some way in a situation, most often by another person(s) or even yourself. Anger is a strong indicator that you are not being treated with the level of love and respect that you truly deserve and that a boundary (physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual) has been crossed. This emotion is calling you to pay attention to your self-love, self-care, self-acceptance and self-respect. How are you not being cared for and what changes do you need to make to ensure that you are being properly cared for and loved?

  • Sadness: This emotion is most closely associated with loss of some kind. This can be a response to an actual physical loss (loss of job, loss of loved one, etc.) or can be an indicator of a loss of self in some way. This is a call to appreciate and celebrate what you’ve had with the person or experience you’ve lost and an opportunity to process unresolved grief within you associated with other past losses. If this emotion is signaling to a loss of self, ask yourself questions such as, “What am I longing for that I don’t have in my life and for myself? What am I not pursuing that I truly want to be doing and feel called to, but am holding back from? What part of my true self am I suppressing? What are my regrets?”

  • Fear: This is most often an indicator that there is a physical or emotional threat that is calling for your attention. Is there a person in your life you are possibly trusting too much who doesn’t quite “have your back?” Are you leaping into an opportunity too soon or committing yourself to something that is not a good fit for you? There are times that fear can come up signaling you that there is unresolved emotional trauma from a mistake, humiliating experience or unpleasant event that is being triggered from a similar experience. In this case, you can ask, “What is it that I remember from a time like this that I’m afraid will happen again?”

  • Joy: Most people don’t even stop to question the messages hidden within the pleasant and desirable emotions such as happiness, joy, excitement, etc. But even high vibe emotions such as joy hold meaning and significance. Joy is the “feels good/right for me” alert that what you’re doing is aligned with your wants and needs and that you are moving in a positive direction. When you experience joy, notice what it is that is the source of the joy and fill your life and environment with more. This is your spirit screaming, “I LIKE IT…I LOVE IT…I WANT SOME MORE OF IT!”

While our emotions can be very powerful and at times overwhelming, they’re here to help us, not hurt us. They are not simply involuntary reactions to the things that happen to us, rather signs pointing us in the direction of the life we want to happen for us. They can serve as incredible supports throughout our life journey and can serve as our greatest teachers, counselors, and allies. They can simplify your life in so many ways and know how to make overwhelming choices more obvious, transitions easier, and directions clearer.

So, the next time you are experiencing an emotion, stop, listen and notice what it’s trying to tell you. You might be surprised at what you discover and how much you stand to learn from them.

Emotions can be overwhelming and working through their messages can be challenging at times. But we don’t have to do it alone. Join me and an incredible group of women in Rising Together where you are ALWAYS SUPPORTED and experience the genuine connection and sense of belonging you’ve always wanted within our inspiring and supportive soul sister community.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Rising Together Women's Community

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Debbie O'Keefe

Debbie is an intuitive empath, motivational speaker and writer as well as a certified solution focus coach and transformation coach. She is also a wife, mother, sister, friend and a recovering "people-pleaser" and "approval addict." Debbie shares her gifts with people all over the world providing them with the Divine guidance and support needed to make empowered choices and live their best lives. Her mission in life to use the gifts of her life experiences to help others find purpose in their pain, to heal their deepest heart hurts and inspire them to make empowered choices that help them live a life they genuinely love while loving themselves in the process. Debbie lives in upstate New York with her incredible husband, Peter and her two beautiful daughters, Rebecca and Sarah. She enjoys sharing her musical talents with others playing flute and singing and replenishing her spirit in nature.

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The information contained on this website and accompanying blog and membership area (collectively “website”), including ideas, suggestions, techniques, videos, products and other materials is educational in nature, is provided only as general information, and is not medical or psychological advice. You understand there is a distinction between “healing” as referenced on this website and the practice of medicine, psychology, or any other licensed health care practice. While Debbie O’Keefe has been trained and has experience in a variety of emotional freedom techniques, she is not a physician, psychologist, psychotherapist, or other licensed health care provider. Debbie O'Keefe does not diagnose, nor does she make any claim to "cure" or "treat" any physical or mental health conditions. None of the services provided by Debra O'Keefe of Life Path Consulting are meant to replace any conventional medical or mental health treatment or therapies including prescription medication, counseling, and other conventional therapies. Results will vary and are completely dependent upon the level of commitment and effort of the client. The services she offers are not licensed by the State of New York or elsewhere in the United States.

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