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Embrace Your Emotions for Balanced Success
“Oh, you’re so sensitive!” “Stop wearing your heart on your sleeve!” “Don’t be a sissy!” How many of us have been told something like this before, especially when it’s said with a negative connotation? Most of us can remember being sensitive as children. But we quickly learned that letting our feelings show was judged as a weakness, while being tough was rewarded with praise and high-fives. Rather than risk being rejected or making others uncomfortable, we conform to the expectations of those in authority, showing only our acceptable “good” emotions and burying those we consider unacceptable or “bad.” At some point 20
HealthQuest
we’ve all heard “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” right? 1SPCMFN JT PWFS UIF ZFBST XF MPTF UPVDI XJUI PVS BVUIFOUJDJUZ unable to identify or express how we really feel in ways that bring us the meaningful connections we crave. We find ourselves feeling one way yet acting another, saying what others want to hear instead of what’s on our heart. /PX BT BEVMUT NBOZ PG VT BSF XPSLJOH UPP NVDI BOE QVTIJOH too hard in ways that sometimes feel like they hurt even our soul. In the interest of efficiency, we feel pressured to leave our personal identity at the workplace door and stick to business. At the end of the day, instead of being supported, energized and inspired, we are left isolated, numb and misunderstood. Yes, it is important to exhibit strong qualities of intense focus, competitive drive, and task-driven purpose. But it’s also important to completely honor our tenderness, weaving our unique gifts