reflection

Emotional and Spiritual Trouble


Last week I went to the David Bowie exhibition in Melbourne. This is an amazing exhibition of a very talented man! One of the things he said was that at one stage of his life, he found himself to be in “emotional and spiritual trouble “.

I thought this was a very apt description of difficult times in our lives. The phrase has remained with me.

It got me thinking about what I am experiencing currently. Grief is grief, and some people just want me to be over it! Mr and Mrs Positive Brigade are very hard for me to be around at present. When I am with people like that, and I feel in emotional and spiritual trouble, I feel like I don’t have permission to say how I feel. I compose myself, contain myself, act like I am coping when I am not, and it feels awful! Does anyone else relate to this?

Research shows that talking about our feelings is healthy. We have a culture in Western society which shames us if we are depressed, anxious, sad or having a difficult time emotionally.

In Australia, one of the highest suicide rates is for men between 4o and 50 years old. They kill themselves because they feel they cannot talk about how awful they feel! Their shame is too great. This is indeed a tragedy.

Let’s start today and give ourselves permission to be with whatever emotions we are having and express them to those we feel safe with. Let’s be people also, who others can talk to about their emotional and spiritual troubles, without fear of being invalidated or shamed.

 

rosmlewis

Clinician, Lecturer, Group Facilitator, Educator and Supervisor in Education, Social Services and Mental Health.

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4 Comments

  • Lena
    February 3, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    Whoa, things just got a whole lot eaeisr.

  • Nakano
    December 20, 2015 at 4:34 am

    Good reminder. I nedeed this to be the first thing I read this morning. I can fool myself into thinking I am taking care of myself, but in reality I’m not. I need to exercise, go for more walks, love myself, be more open with friends and family, pray and give thanks more, be grateful and generate a lot more financial security in my life. Seems like a good to do list for today and everyday.

    • rosmlewis
      Rosalind Lewis
      December 20, 2015 at 8:12 pm

      Hi Nakano,
      Thank you for your response. Hope you are learning to take care of your self in a real way. I have to keep reminding myself to do this also.
      Ros

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About me

Rosalind Lewis

Rosalind Lewis

Professionally I have 33 years experience as a Clinician, Lecturer, Group Facilitator, Educator and Supervisor in Education, Social Services and Mental Health. I currently live in Melbourne, Australia and work in Mental Health. I have a particular interest in supporting and empowering women and men to be all they can be, by assisting the discovery of tools that help them find strength to transform difficulties into opportunities, enriching their lives both personally and professionally. I am a New Zealand Registered Psychotherapist with PBANZ, member of the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists and have a Masters of Health Science (Psychotherapy) First Class Honours. My research thesis was about the long term consequences of intimate partner violence for women. I am influenced and informed by both my professional experiences and my own personal journey, which has involved many challenges and celebrations along the way.