When You're Stuck in Negative Emotions – Mary Henderson
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When You’re Stuck in Negative Emotions

When You’re Stuck in Negative Emotions

February 20, 2012

“Recurrent negative feelings–those that loop in the same cycles again and again without changing–are unmet knots of our past that got frozen in time for the precise reason that they were not met with kindness or acceptance.” Geneen Roth

On our road to becoming all that God created us to be, we can find ourselves stuck, experiencing worry or anger or sadness, unable to break free. These patterns hinder our spiritual and emotional health, and they can also significantly hinder our physical health.

There was a period when I found myself stuck in just such a pattern, getting my feelings hurt way too easily in various conversations. I tried many things to remedy this, but freedom came when I realized the truth alluded to by Geneen Roth in the quote above. I came to see that times of great emotional reactivity for me were happening because they were echoes of specific early experiences of hurt and rejection, when no one was around to affirm and show kindness.

Equipped with this realization, I began countering my hyper-sensitivity by reminding myself that I was no longer that hurt child, but a deeply loved daughter of the King of the Universe. And I snuggled into thoughts of the current loving relationships he has given me, affirming and kind.

Proverbs enlightens us, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) In the face of past wounds and scars from childhood sword thrusts, my own tongue can remind me of God’s truth, bringing spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.