HuffPost Canada closed in 2021 and this site is maintained as an online
archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our
FAQ or contact
support@huffpost.com.
emotions
If an emotion can serve the same purpose as some medical treatments, then it may be worth promoting.
The U.S. election has unleashed a style of aggression, anger, and hatred created like no other. There have been friendships lost, families torn apart, and relationships that will take a very long time to repair. If they even can repair. Sadly this type of situation happens all the time in the workplace.
I was two months short of being 12. I went to bed quite late, only to be startled shortly afterwards by my mother. She was attempting to wake my father. She was yelling, "The war has started!" Years later I can still clearly recall the fright with which I got up. The haunting sound of the sirens still rings in my ears.
But only on your sugar-pill week.
How do you deal with emotional pain? The kind of pain that sits in your heart and occasionally (sometimes without warning) breaks your heart just a little bit, and you feel an overwhelming urge to cry. Many of us can relate to that.
I ponder how much kinder our world would be if we were able to maintain our own child-like innocence and act more on instinct rather than learned conventions. If we responded from a place of authenticity rather than politeness. If we were wholeheartedly dedicated to the ones we're with, tending to their needs honestly, rather than worrying how others may judge us.
This lie shuts us down, blocks out others, isolates us, shames us and perpetuates those heavy feelings and weight of our already hefty burdens. So don't make another excuse not to call. Pick up the phone, my dear friend. I will listen to your story one more time, and one more time again.
Indeed, most instances of "faking it" are caused by the usual reasons, most of which are innocuous. It's the more insidious ones that we, as parents, need to be aware of so that we can address the causes at the basis of why our children are avoiding school.
When we feel stuck, our usual tactics -- giving ourselves more time, assessing pros and cons, soliciting our friends for advice -- don't really help, and in fact, can escalate our anxiety.
Counselling should push you and test your limits, and help you understand your strengths and vulnerabilities. It may be uncomfortable and exhausting at times, but in the same way a good work out feels good physically, a good psychological workout can be deeply, emotionally satisfying.
