I just finished watching Inside Out. Yeah, I know I’m late and yes everyone was right, it is a good movie. I have to say this kid’s movie really left an impression on me. My take away from the movie is that sadness is necessary. As a matter of fact sometimes we have to be sad to Chase Joy.
As you all know my mom passed away a few weeks ago. Since then I have really been struggling. The sadness that I have felt is greater than any sadness I’ve felt before, even more so than when my dad died because I had my mom to help me through that. The sadness is scary so I keep trying to push it away. However maybe Inside Out is correct. Maybe I need to allow it and to stop pushing it away. Maybe I have to be sad to Chase Joy.
Honestly I have tried to allow myself to experience the sadness. I let myself cry a little each day. But then gets too real and I wipe my eyes and push the pain away. My efforts to let the sadness happen are largely due to the fact that I know from past experience that if you don’t deal with your feelings you can end up hurting yourself. I am particularly vulnerable to emotional eating. So, I have said to myself feel the feelings so you don’t eat the feelings.
Inside out has given me a greater reason to feel m feelings, to allow myself to be sad and not push the pain away. It is in being and showing sadness that we invite others to cheer us up. I am not good at being weak or vulnerable and that is how the sadness makes me feel. But maybe if I allow myself to be weak, vulnerablee, and own my sadness I will also allow those who love me to rally around me and be the support system that I need. I know that it is people and not things that bring the greatest happiness. So I guess I just may need to let myself be sad to Chase Joy.
How do you deal with intense feelings of sadness or grief?
