Do you carry a sadness that hasn’t yet been honored?

Anger unaddressed? Or a joy uncelebrated?

We put off “dealing” with our feelings for all kinds of reasons- not the least of which is their sheer inconvenience.

This week’s journal prompt is an opportunity to reflect on unaddressed emotions.

Once you acknowledge the specific event, action, opportunity, or relationship that’s gone unresolved, the next step is writing down whatever is holding you back from processing it.

What’s the story you’re telling yourself?

What bucket have you placed it in? Some of my favorites are:

• I don’t have time right now I’ll do it later.

• It’s silly I shouldn’t even care. I’m being such a baby about it.

• I can’t afford to “go there.” I just might fall apart.

• I’m waiting on someone else to… (They owe me.)

What “dealing with it” means is up to you, of course. You have the agency and opportunity to define what that process looks like and how you want to come out the other side.

In my experience, lingering feelings rarely go away on their own. If anything, they become part of a larger story about our lives and what’s possible for us.

You can change that.

“Feelings are something you have; not something you are.” - Shannon L. Alder