5 Questions for Difficult Emotions

It's not uncommon for those who have left religion to now find themselves completely disconnected from their emotions. Is that you, too? Were you taught "bad" emotions (like anger, fear, jealousy, & sadness) were a sign of:

Maybe you were told that you were being dramatic, to stop crying, that it's not "that big of a deal" or that by allowing certain emotions you were giving the enemy a foothold. Religious environments trained you, possibly from a very early age, that some emotions just aren't acceptable to feel and certainly not to express! And now you're an adult who has learned to bury your emotions deep down, and then become horrified when they eventually explode out of you like a volcano.

 The reality is your emotions were never the problem. The problem was you weren't taught how to relate to your emotions in healthy ways, especially in religious environments. So here is a quick tool to help retrain you how to better deal with your emotions the next time a challenging one arises. Simply pause and ask yourself these 5 questions:

Emotions are simply messengers, trying to get your attention. Much like the flashing gas light in your car when you're low on fuel and need a refill, they are simply alerting you to *pay attention* to a need that isn't being met.