A dear friend of mine recently posted this quote on her Facebook status: “It’s okay to not be okay.” – Robin Benwa. On the day I read it, it was something I really needed to hear. Since the Winter Solstice, I’ve been noticing lots of ups and downs in my day-to-day emotions and stress levels. Other people have mentioned feeling intense energies recently, too, and it may have to do with the astrological tides or other phenomena.

On a personal level, I think I’m still recovering from the holidays and all the social events, and all the hard work I put into getting ready for the festivities. I’m an introvert, so even though I very much enjoy parties and gatherings, I need down time to recharge afterward.

The thing is, I’d felt so positive and strong during the dark time of the year, when I was focused inward, that for some reason my recent lulls felt like a problem I needed to fix. We humans often do that – if we don’t feel happy and positive, we start to feel like something is wrong with us. We think we need to take action, to make immediate changes, to “get better.”

Actually, our emotions are there to guide us, but perhaps not in the way we might first assume. Rather than rushing around trying to comfort ourselves, or making sudden, not especially well-thought-out changes, what if we just abide where we are? We can just sit and feel the feelings, and notice what associated thoughts they bring up. Rather than judging the feelings as “not okay,” what if we just let them happen, riding the waves of our emotions? What if we just have a good cry when we feel like it?

I find that when I stop and listen, and take some time to meditate, the unpleasant storm of emotions begins to still. My feelings are released, rather than stored or blocked. If I let them go, it’s easier to move forward. My usual state of optimism naturally re-emerges. Then I have the space to come up with inspired actions, from a centered state of being.