Romanticize Life's Emotions

The imbalance of life’s adventures is a gateway to expansion. 

In recent weeks, I have found myself feeling displaced and questioning the outcomes of certain scenarios. At times, an inexplicable feeling arises where I question my reality entirely, as if I am having an out-of-body experience. It’s hard to explain, but let me try. 

When we begin to flow in this state of freedom and abundance, a sense of greatness comes with it, but there is also a shadow that is not often talked about. The healing process is beautiful, as we shift and grow through different versions of ourselves and gain deeper connections with our higher selves. However, I have also discovered that within this journey, there are moments that can feel quite sorrowful and dark. We often enter this healing process believing that life is meant to only ascend after a downfall. However, I must bear the difficult news that the cycles continue. Even in the highest of highs, there is a part that feels low. I believe this comes from realizing these cycles of life don’t cease; they simply shift, becoming either easier to manage or presenting us with a different filter if we haven’t yet learned our lesson. Without these cycles, we wouldn’t be able to experience the complexities of life, and if that were the case, I don’t think it would be all that exciting—maybe “exciting” isn’t the right word, but it is certainly complex.

There’s a desire to find stability, to have a monogamous relationship with life, where we are loyal to just one emotion. Yet, if we anchor ourselves to a single emotion, we risk rejecting all others that may arise. Just as we know that infidelity isn’t the best avenue in relationships, perhaps, in the realm of emotions, we need to embrace a kind of emotional polyamory—finding balance and harmony among the different feelings that come our way.

I’ve heard that a way to make life more fruitful is to romanticize it. Maybe that’s what we should do to navigate the imbalances of life’s adventures. Additionally, experiencing a wide array of emotions allows us to gain knowledge about what resonates with us and what doesn’t. We might need to sample the buffet of emotions before we settle on the combinations that feel right. However, the mere variety of these emotional flavours can sometimes lead us to settle for what is most accessible. 

There’s also a tendency to feel that we must fix what is broken or in distress. In those moments, we can be blinded by the hope of future improvement rather than taking a step back and acknowledging that “it just doesn’t work for me.” I occasionally fall into this toxic relationship with negative emotions, thinking that I can fix them. But reality strikes, and I realize that these are remnants of the past that no longer serve me. Like a toxic relationship, sometimes you must rip off the Band-Aid and let go. Once you can separate yourself from these emotions, it becomes easier to rationally approach them, recognize patterns of behaviour, and even find forgiveness. 

So, perhaps the trick is to examine your relationship with your emotions as you would your relationships with others. Start by identifying what works and what doesn’t, consider the compromises you’re willing to make, and acknowledge what you simply must let go of.

Z.