THE FEELER
assessment area: emotional
This area of the Core Instincts Quiz
includes your emotions, feelings, and
your 'gut' reactions.
Below is an excerpt from my first book, ONE...Embracing Life & Illuminating Your Spirit! (2010), which speaks to the essence of this assessment area....
EMOTION & FEELING
Emotion is all about your ability to feel. We are hard-wired with two central emotions: love (the non-romantic kind also known as grace, faith, compassion and acceptance) and fear. All of our subsequent feelings spring forth from one of these two emotions.
Emotions, especially the ones that make us feel vulnerable can be intimidating. It can make you feel like you're walking around without any protection or armor and that's scary. In fact, feelings like anger and frustration can create the illusion that you are not as vulnerable as when you show emotions like sadness, hurt or doubt. That is not true. All feelings tap into your deep emotional core and when you block off one, you're blocking all of them. Feelings don't create vulnerability. It's the thoughts and beliefs you attach to various feelings that create the experience of vulnerability, fear and so forth.
Love [grace] lies at the heart of all things. Years ago, at my previous holistic center in Connecticut, we held a monthly women’s circle. This was a very informal group for adult women to share, support, laugh, cry, explore, discover and heal. The topic of conversation one evening was “self love” and the difficulty so many people have with practicing self love, especially verbally. When I was asked how I practice self love, I unconsciously began talking in a general sense about how one can achieve self love.
My response was a perfect example of the subconscious de-personalization we create when outwardly acknowledging loving ourselves. Being persistent, the same woman asked me again, “How do you, Kimble, practice self love?” It actually took me a moment to shift away from my immediate feelings of embarrassment and recall when and how I began to heal my own emptiness, where self love was greatly lacking. My ability to feel and express love for my self, regardless of my external accomplishments and appearance, did not take place until I began my conscious spiritual journey in my mid 30s.
Prior to that, I harbored a great deal of self judgment, doubt, and even hatred. I remember beginning a daily practice of gratitude in my late 30s. One aspect of this practice was saying out loud to myself, “I love you, Kimble.” At first this felt awkward, hollow, insincere and downright egotistical and silly. This self-deprecating attitude, unfortunately, is what many of us have been taught, from early childhood on - that to express love for one Self is inappropriate, conceited and not well received by others. I encouraged all of the women in the group to try it (saying I love you out loud to themselves). After some resistance and self-consciousness, they agreed that this felt self-accepting and nurturing, They decided they did not want to perpetuate this cycle of self-dishonor with their children or themselves.
It is vital for self=growth and goal achievement to discontinue the perpetuation of practices and shift the beliefs that are not supportive or self-honoring. I encourage you to consider beginning the practice of self-love and honor in numerous ways. Begin by telling yourself aloud on a daily basis, “I love you, (name),” for the truth is you are lovable, you are loving and you are love!