There Are No Bad Feelings

I quietly walked into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting last week, sat down, took a deep breath, and started processing what was happening inside my heart and mind. There was a lot in there, and in that moment I needed the space.

I also needed the meeting. It is a commitment I have to myself every Wednesday at noon. I know and love many people there, and they know me too.

Before we began, one of my favorite men approached me and said,

"What is the look on your face?"

Turning my head, surprised, I replied, "What look?"

He followed, "That look of disgust."

I first giggled and then went into self-reflection.

I was thinking about something that brought up both fear and sadness inside of me, so I looked at my friend and said, "I'm processing some feelings."

The meeting began and then ended as we circled and held hands. I stood next to the same man, and he looked at me and said, "You know Diana, you are a lot prettier with a smile on your face than that look you have today."

I know his intention was good, but it felt like he had crossed a boundary with me. I looked at him and said, "No, please do not say that to me. That belief and that mindset are exactly why we need to be in this room in the first place. There is no such thing as a bad or wrong feeling. So I choose myself in this moment, and I will move through this;

give me the space."

What you don't express, you will feel as anxiety.

The yoga practice is a tool that teaches you how to stay connected to yourself through any obstacle. In the moment you run away from what you are feeling, you no longer belong to yourself.

There is no such thing as a bad feeling.

Lean in.

Stay close.

xo,
Diana