Let’s talk about feelings.

We’re in social isolation right now. For most people, this is probably the most time you have had to spend with yourself in a really long time. And it’s probably the longest period of time you have had to spend with yourself without the usual go-to distractions that can keep you from really having to look at what’s going on, inside.

You can’t distract yourself with your morning commute. You can’t distract yourself with your favorite happy hour. You can’t distract yourself with overdrawn board meetings.

All we have right now is ourselves.

We’re talking about feelings because as a Highly Sensitive Person, I know how important it is to feel them right now. Emotion is energy in motion. When we feel an emotion, the best way to take care of our emotional and mental health is to feel it all the way through, and then release it.

And what I know, based on my own experiences and work as a coach, is that during times like these we often forget to feel our feelings.

Fear comes up and we shove it down. Sadness comes up and we shut it down. We tend to set aside those negative emotions and let them sit.

When we don’t allow our emotions to flow through us, when we leave them sitting, they weigh us down. This weight down can look like:

• Anxiety

• Low energy

• Lack of motivation

• Sudden emotional blow ups

• Depression

 And more. Bummer, right?

I share all of these things, because I want to assure you that this experience is completely normal – right now, especially. I have so much empathy and compassion for how our world is feeling right now.

I also share these things because what I notice is that as a society, we tend to put a happy face on everything. We create the online guided meditation, the virtual workout, and the “Quarantini” cocktail to have over FaceTime with friends. While these are all great and creative, I do believe we aren’t doing enough as a society to address how we are feeling and how we can allow ourselves to be okay with not always feeling great, especially in this moment.

So my challenge for you today is to really take note of whether you are sticking on a happy face so that you don’t have to be with things — and as a result, starting to have any of those negative experiences that I listed above — and in response, start allowing the energy to be in motion.

Put on the sad movie if you need a good cry to be with your sadness. Scream into your pillow for release to be with your anger. Allow yourself to feel the range of emotions that are inside of you, right now.

If you are willing to feel your feelings but are just not sure how, make sure you follow me on Instagram and Facebook. I am putting out all of my resources for Sadness on Purpose, Anger on Purpose, Joy on Purpose, and more.

If you are willing and would like to add your thoughts to this discussion, please share them. I would love to have you part of this conversation.