Emotional Intelligence 101: Taming the Beast Within!

To Feel or Not to Feel, That is the Question

If you only allow 50% of your emotions, you'll only feel 50% of your Life!

You can't cut off one feeling without cutting them all off.

You can only feel HAPPY, as much as you are willing to FEEL.

You can only feel your Love, as much as you are willing to feel your Anger.
You can only feel your Joy, as much as you are willing to feel your Sadness.
You can only feel your Peace, as much as you are willing to feel your Fear.

More Joy, Less Pain

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006 to all, around the world!

Wishing you a new year of:

Less Crazy, More Sane.
Less Different, More Same.
More Power. Less Blame.
More Joy, Less Pain.

with LOTS of Love (just 'cause it feels so good).
- Matt

Emotions are the next frontier!

"Emotions are the next frontier to be understood and conquered. To manage our emotions is not to drug them or suppress them, but to understand them so that we can intelligently direct our emotional energies and intentions.... It's time for human beings to grow up emotionally, to mature into emotionally managed and responsible citizens. No magic pill will do it."

-- Doc Childre

Many of us believe that we need to keep a tight lid on our emotions. We fear that if we ever allow these emotions to be expressed, they will do serious damage.

But if we summon up the courage to truly feel our emotions, we discover that they don't last. The monster in the closet turns out to be a pussycat. In fact, if we are willing to experience our emotions completely, without resistance of any kind, they burn themselves out in only a few minutes.

The only thing that keeps emotions alive within you over long periods is your unwillingness to acknowledge them!

"By starving emotions we become humorless, rigid and stereotyped; by repressing them we become literal, reformatory and holier-than-thou; encouraged, they perfume life; discouraged, they poison it."

-- Joseph Collins

http://www.higherawareness.com
To SUBSCRIBE: click here

Internet use differs by sex

Link: Study shows differences in Internet use by sex.

American men who go online are more likely than women to check the weather, the news, sports, political and financial information, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported Wednesday. They are also more likely to use the Internet to download music and software and to take a class.

Online women, meanwhile, are bigger users of e-mail, and they are also more likely to go online for religious information and support for health or personal problems. "For men, it's just, `Give me the facts," said Deborah Fallows, who wrote the report based on six years of Pew surveys.

"For women, it's `Let's talk about this. Are you worried about this problem?' It's keeping in touch and connecting with people in a richer way."

Would you like to keep in touch and connect with people in a rich, loving, supportive way?  Join our online support group at http://Groups.msn.com/2GetHelp (no charge, ever!)

- Matt

Feelings and Addictions

www.addictionz.com has a good article re: Feelings and Emotions for Addicts.  It includes some step-by-step options for how to handle strong emotions OTHER THAN BY  drinking or using.

There's also a cool story/parable about Two Wolves.

Read on...

The World of Feelings and Emotions

THE WORLD OF FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS
an article by Walter Last

Walter talks about our Lost Feelings, definitions of Feelings vs. Emotions, how we Lost our Feelings, pain and disease and how unexpressed feelings can show up in our Body. Interesting read.

Faith

The opposite of Fear, I believe, is Faith.

We only seem to be afraid of what MIGHT happen in the future.
- we might get hurt
- we might fall
- we might be left behind
- etc.

We are usually NOT afraid if we believe that things are going to work out Ok. That's called Faith.

It doesn't mean that we blindly walk into any situation and just believe that things will be work out perfectly, everytime, but it does mean that a healthy, positive outlook and belief in a Higher Power that loves you will quell many of your personal fears and apprehensions.  The cool part is that We Choose to Think... we don't really know, so we can either choose to think that bad things might happen, or good things might happen... which will you choose?

"Go boldly toward your dreams."

Time Heals, Sometimes

"We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life's morning; for what in the morning was true may in evening become a lie."

-- C.G. Jung

In other words, feelings and beliefs and conclusions we made as a child may have served us well then, but they often do NOT serve us well as an adult. Deal with your conscious and unconscious childhood beliefs, as they may be causing you untold pain.

As Doc says, "Is what you're doing getting you what you want in the long run? If not, change it!"

Are you stuffing your feelings, and hoping they'll heal by themselves?

Are you depending on Time to heal all wounds?

Are you hoping your pain will magically disappear without you ever having to face it?

if so, good luck.
- Matt

Perserverance is Essential

"Courage to start and willingness to keep everlasting at it are the requisites for success."

-- Alonzo Newton Benn

Same goes for dealing with our Feelings.  The courage to start is essential... but usually only comes after tons of Pain and Disappointment.

Don't wait until you're a walking disaster.  Get some help today!
Learn about your Feelings & Emotions -- it will change your entire life experience!!

Learn From your Fears

"Fear is a question: What are you afraid of, and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information, our fears are a treasure house of self-knowledge if we explore them."

-- Marilyn Ferguson

"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."

-- Jiddu Krishnamurti

"Fear is your body's way of telling you to 'PAY ATTENTION!'"

-- mcp

"Fear always has an Object.  We are always afraid of some-thing."

-- Doc Downing, PhD, LMFT

Fear does NOT necessarily mean "STOP!" or "RUN!".  Those are actions, or reactions. Behaviours based on our fears.

Deal with your fear, control your Behaviours.