Feelings.
The word alone stirs something in me.
For much of my life, I think I treated feelings as facts. If I felt afraid, something must be wrong. If I felt sad, something must be missing forever. If I felt overwhelmed, maybe I really couldn’t handle what was in front of me.
But I’m learning that feelings are not forecasts.
They are not always telling me what is going to happen. They are often telling me what is happening inside of me.
Feelings are indicators. Like the lights on a car dashboard, they let me know something needs my attention. Hunger tells me I need food. Exhaustion tells me I need rest. Loneliness may tell me I need connection. Sadness may tell me something mattered. Anxiety may tell me I am touching an old fear, not necessarily facing a current danger.
Wouldn’t it be nice if feelings came with a clear instruction manual?
A little dashboard light that said:
“This is grief.”
“This is fear.”
“This is old pain.”
“This is not a prediction.”
“This just needs your attention.”
But feelings are rarely that simple.
They are shaped by our experiences, our beliefs, our childhoods, our disappointments, our hopes, and the stories we have told ourselves over and over again. In the moment, they can feel permanent. They can feel like truth.
But a feeling is not always the truth.
A feeling is information.
And information can be listened to without being obeyed.
I can pause. I can breathe. I can ask, “What is this feeling trying to show me?” I can ask, “Is this happening now, or is this an old place in me being touched?” I can ask, “What do I need right now?”
Maybe I need rest.
Maybe I need food.
Maybe I need comfort.
Maybe I need to tell myself the truth.
Maybe I need to stop turning a temporary feeling into a lifelong sentence.
I take comfort in knowing my feelings do not have to define my future.
They can be honored without being handed the steering wheel.
They can be felt without being feared.
They can rise, speak, soften, and move through me.
Feelings are not forecasts.
They are invitations to listen more closely to myself.
Maybe feelings were never meant to predict our future. Maybe they were meant to help us pay attention to the present. So I’m leaving you with this…”What’s showing up on your dashboard right now?”
Softly…with feeling,
Suzi