You Gotta Feel it to Heal It: Why We Have to Stop Numbing the Pain | Tienes que sentirlo para curarlo: ¿Por qué tenemos que dejar de entumecer el dolor.
I’ve spent much of my life resisting my true feelings. Anger made me feel wrong. Sadness made me feel weak. Needy made me feel “girly.” Love made me feel scared. I became an expert at hiding when I was feeling any of the above. Some people numb their feelings with alcohol, drugs, shopping, or sex. I numb with control. Being in control. Exerting control. Maintaining iron-will control over my every emotion. Don’t think I have anyone fooled. Besides, this only works for so long before the emotions leak out and erupt like a dormant volcano. One of the most famous quotes of every 12-Step program is: “You gotta feel it to heal it.” As someone who absolutely hates feeling anything that makes me vulnerable, this is the best advice I’ve ever received. Because I’ve felt no greater pain and sadness than I have the past two years of my life. Yet it’s been the catalyst for my greatest transformation. Every crazy, unhealthy, “not like us at all” thing we do in life has a cataly...