15 September 2011

Feelings Are Not Facts

“When we’re stuck in troubled feelings, we believe that all our feelings are true – that is to say, we believe that by our emotions at that moment, we are making accurate judgments about what’s happening. If I’m angry with you, I’m certain that you are making me angry.”

The fact is “though we truly have these feelings, they are not necessarily true feelings.”

~ From Bonds That Make Us Free by C. Terry Warner

No matter what happens in your life, you will have some feelings about it. And, we tend to believe that it is the events that happened that caused those feelings. This is not true. Before we have the feelings, we have a thought about the event; it is from that thought that our feelings arise.

If we think something is awful, we will feel awful about it. If we think something is wonderful, then our feelings will follow. The key here is to not allow your feelings to control how you behave; because from those feelings come the behaviors. If something is awful, acknowledge it and then move on. By the same token, if something is wonderful, acknowledge it and move on.

You will begin to see that life becomes more peaceful, more calm and much more agreeable.




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