Hello!

A few mornings ago I felt three mildly uncomfortable feelings in the space of about half an hour. I had read something on Facebook that I found a bit disturbing, I saw an uncomfortable interchange between two people and I felt a read a post in someone’s FB group that I’m in and felt some fear arise.

And I brushed those ‘little’ feelings aside for a while.

But about an hour later, I was driving my kids to a homeschooling meet up, I realised what I’d done, and that I had brushed those feelings aside. I had the sense of them still hanging around, wanting to be heard.

So I spent a few moments with each feeling, and I invited my Inner Loving Mother to come and listen.

She said, “Sweetheart, hello! How are you feeling? Tell me all about it. I’m listening.”

So one by one, I told her each feeling and thought, and She listened with loving compassion; “I hear that you’re feeling disturbed and upset. I can really understand. I’m listening. Would you like to tell me more?”

It really took only a few minutes for me to feel each feeling, express it, and have it heard with empathy. And then I felt this sense of relief and deep comfortableness, simply by feeling, expressing, and having those feelings heard.
 

It can be so easy in our busy lives to keep skipping over the small feelings, deeming them unimportant or insignificant.

But little feelings, unacknowledged, accumulate.

The paradox is, I’ve found, is that when I’m not listening to the little feelings, then in the moments when I could listen, like when I’m driving and my lovelies are occupied, or when I’m in the bath, then I’m more likely to fill up the space with music or reading (not when I’m driving!) or having a look at Instagram. 

The little feelings have accumulated, and the underground feeling of discomfort means I’m less likely to want to go there!

But when I’m regularly listening to the little feelings, then, in those little moments, I’m more willing to use that space as an opportunity to check in with myself, and to connect with my Inner Loving Mother or one of the other of my Inner Loving Crew.

And then I feel much more at peace. Much more connected with myself. More relaxed and more available for connection with others and the world.
 

It’s like with our children. I imagine you also enjoy regularly giving them empathy for their littler feelings.

Like my son yesterday. We dropped my daughter off at ballet, went to the beach with our dog, and then went to get an ice cream. The ice cream server gave him smaller scoops than usual. As he was eating it he said, “I’m disappointed that these scoops are so small,” and I replied, “Oh I hear that you’re disappointed. You really enjoy those bigger scoops, don’t you?”

I could so easily have subtly judged his disappointment, or given him the sense that he ‘should’ be grateful for having an ice-cream at all!

But phew, I remembered the power of empathy for even those apparently little feelings!

Acknowledging and giving compassionate space to those little feelings allows them to flow.

When feelings flow, we are free to feel other feelings.
 

I wonder if this resonates with you?

Do you notice yourself brushing away your little feelings, or judging them as unimportant?

Would you like to respond differently to those little feelings?

What would your Inner Loving Mother say to you when she listens to your little feelings?

And what about with your child?

Do you notice you find yourself brushing away their little feelings too?

And if so, how would you like to respond instead?
 

The live round of my Inner Loving Presence Process Course starts in two days, if you’ve been interested in joining in. And the last last little earlybird finishes about 12 hours after I’m sending this out!

I love knowing that my Inner Loving Mother is always there when I need her. My experience is just like Jen’s when she said, “I will never be alone again.”