Dear Guru Stu,

I have been going to counseling now for three months. My counselor has really been helping me bring up a lot of old feelings that I didn't even know I had. I'm starting to create a whole new emotional outlook on life, but I feel like I'm getting overloaded. I've been through some really bad times throughout my childhood and adulthood and haven't really allowed my emotions any freedom.

I'm so unaccustomed to feeling this much, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle all the emotions coming up all at once. Sometimes it's really scary. My doctor tells me not to worry about it, she says that it's perfectly normal. I don't understand emotions - what they are and why we even have them - and I'd really like a Guru's point of view. What's your advice?

Signed,

Overloaded

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Dear Overloaded:

"Don't worry about it " sounds like good advice to me. No need to add worry to your list of emotions popping up.

Since you've been through many years of emotional abuse and blockage, I'm sure that you're doing the right thing and that your counselor knows how to handle your situation. Have faith and patience. Emotions need time; so give yourself plenty of it.

Emotions are good, even when they feel bad.
They are the indicators of what's really going on. Embrace them and learn from them.

Emotions are natural.
Why do you think we are born with the ability to laugh and cry? Because it works, that's why. The way we express ourselves as children is the natural way for us to express. Now this doesn't mean you can act hysterical in the mall. It just means that when the time is right for expression... express it!!!

Emotions are the colors of life.
They have no substance. They are ethereal; and yet they help us to explore and learn more about the substance of life than anything else. They can move us to win and to lose. We measure the quality of our lives by them. They teach us humanity... by making us human.

Emotions are the creators of our feelings.
Emotions by themselves are pure. They stimulate our bodies with "feelings." And those feelings shape our experience of the emotions. Feelings are the things we control, not our emotions.

Emotions are unique.
There's no "right way." You can laugh; others can cry. And there's no time limit to how long it takes to get through the emotion. Healing can be instantaneous for one person and take years for another.

Emotions are not collector's items.
In order for you to get to a richer emotional life, you'll need to travel through the emotions. It's like a river, you can either swim upstream or down, but if you don't get through it you won't get to shore.

Just keep at it. Giving yourself permission to have these feelings is really the only "tough" thing to overcome. Once you let that happen, your emotions will do what they're meant to do… let you live your life to the fullest.