When to Trust Feelings

Trusting Our Feelings: when vulnerability finally becomes a strength – a positive virtue – we trust our feelings as they provide a wise guide as to how we perceive our realities.

Sure, it seems illogical,

But give feelings their due,

Because our feelings are biological,

And our personalities to them are true.

When we wholeheartedly,

Allow ourselves to feel,

We suddenly have the wherewithal,

To become incredibly real.

When the heart informs,

The mind of what’s truly felt,

The mind it is that adorns,

The skill to deal with what’s been dealt.

It is wise to trust our feelings enough to allow them to counsel us. The mind, still in control, is advised by the visceral feelings ― they shouldn’t be denied.

Wisdom is based in a vital integrity between the head and heart ― it’s an important oneness to establish and maintain.

Feelings As a Complement to Strength

Many of us have learned to repress our feelings as untrustworthy in a dangerous world. What was the correct instinct is, however, also a negation of the real us. Our feelings are integral to our experience, discernment, and responses of life. We get less of life when we feel less. But it takes faith to feel.

When we have learned to trust our feelings we have found a complement to our strength. And when I say we need to trust our feelings I don’t mean trusting feelings of resentment and anger and pride so much, but trusting the primary feeling that generates such negative responses, in order that we may empathise with ourselves – for, that is the felt experience of God’s grace.

So trusting our feelings is appropriate, indeed helpful, and builds our strength, when we discern the primary feeling – that queasiness in the gut, or the headache, or that giddy uneasiness – all that tell us something is wrong.

There are plenty of occasions when feelings will weaken us, and that is not what this is about.

When we add to our thought-strength the complement of feeling-strength we end up with an integrity between the head and heart. We are more aligned internally and less indecisive. We are naturally more confident. Having trusted our feelings – having given them their due – they help us sort our thinking processes. We make wise decisions as a result.

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The integral person has learned to discern helpful feelings from those that are unhelpful. Primary feelings are an important guide for life. When we trust them we gain an inner integrity that facilitates peace and humble confidence.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.