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A Stoic’s Guide to Owning Your Feelings
“Naming what you feel means claiming what’s real”
I’m not writing this because I’m a guru at understanding my feelings. I’m writing because I’m crap at it. And because I’m crap at it, I’m always working hard to make it better.
I want to improve my emotional awareness because I believe it’s really important. Identifying your emotions is the first step in making empowered choices. And it’s from this awareness that you become an owner of your journey, not a victim of circumstance.
My own journey
I’m masterful at understanding others and helping them discover their emotions. I can probe and ask insightful questions. I can read between the lines. When it comes to examining my own feelings, though, it’s like looking through rock.
In moments where emotions are high, I still struggle to name what I feel. I still scratch my head in confusion any time I’m asked to say what I really want. I’m miles away from where I want to be with my emotional awareness.
That said, I’m much further along than where I was. I’ve grown 1,000% in my self-awareness and I’m genuinely happy about that. I’m farther down the road than I’ve ever been. I’ve learned a lot, and there’s one tool that I think is very helpful.
