Navigating Life with Feelings as Your Navigational System

Life could at times feel like a complex journey with many twists and turns. At times like this, we may seek direction from the internet, ask others for advice, or seek professional help, but sometimes these guides can fall short.

What if the key to finding your way lies within you, in your feelings? After all, regardless of how wise the external advice is, it can never truly feel what you are feeling.

Feelings act as an internal navigational system, providing real feedback on how good or bad the path you are on feels.

Understanding and trusting your inner compass can lead to a more authentic and fulfilling life.

Getting comfortable with all feelings is the path to freedom.

Understanding Feelings as a Navigation Tool

Most people are in the habit of avoiding or repressing what they are feeling, yet their feelings will not be controlled or suppressed over time. Feelings are not random, momentary glitches; instead, they are signals that reflect your inner state and your environment.

When you place all your attention on what you are feeling. Not just the positive ones like joy and excitement, but especially on the challenging ones like discomfort, anxiety, or nervousness, you gain insight into what aligns with your well-being and what does not.

feelings act like road signs, helping you decide when to move forward, pause, or change direction.

Understanding Your Feelings

If you struggle to understand or trust your feelings, the reason might have its origins in your upbringings that might have instill in you the need to relay in external opinions instead in your own.

Here are practical steps to better connect with your feelings:

• Breathe and feel: When faced with a decision or situation, take a moment to breathe slowly and deeply into your belly, feeling it rather than thinking about it. Ask internally how does this feel like? Connecting with your body, the space of your unconscious mind, creates space to notice feelings. Connect with the first perception that arises.

• Name the feeling: Name, better yet, write what you are feeling, whether it is anxiety, happiness, frustration, or curiosity. Naming feelings reduces confusion and increases clarity.

• Find it in your body: Feelings often manifest physically. Notice where the feeling is held in your body. Place your hand in that area, and imagine the area breathing slowly and deeply, opening space for further understanding.

• Ask yourself questions: Ask the area that carries that feeling: What does this feeling want me to know? Where did this feeling originate? What can I do to release it and feel better?

• Write it down: Write down the first perception that arises to your questions, regardless of whether it makes perfect sense. You are feeling rather than thinking. Writing helps organize your inner experience and reveals patterns over time.

  
  

Examples in Feelings as your guide in making choices

In Career Decisions

Suppose your boss offered you a promotion that comes with more money but also more stress and less time for your family. Feelings of dread and tension will arise, signaling that this job may conflict with your core beliefs about the importance of family. Recognizing these feelings helps you trust your inner guidance and understand what truly matters.

In Relationships

Feeling like you have to partially express what you feel to avoid criticism and confrontation in a relationship can ignite anxiety and frustration; This suggests you might not trust the relationship you are in which makes it unhealthy. Feeling at ease, joyful, and present in your relationship is indicative of a relationship that feels nurturing and accepting.

In Daily Life

Even small daily choices benefit from tuning into feelings. Choosing a creative project that sparks joy rather than obligation leads to more satisfaction and growth. Feeling bored or restless can be a sign that your potential exceeds the activity you're in, and it is time to challenge yourself.

Overcoming Challenges While learning to understand what you are feeling

• Distinguish feelings from fears: Fear can cloud your understanding of what you truly feel. Ask yourself if the fear comes from past experiences or current reality to build confidence in your emotional awareness. 

• Avoid impulsive reactions: Feelings provide information; this information needs your time and reflection before you decide on the path to take. Use feelings as a wise guide to help you navigate the consequences of your decisions.

• Practice regularly: Repetition is the mother of learning. The more time you spend feeling, the clearer your feelings become.

Benefits of Using Feelings as Your GPS

• Greater self-awareness: Understanding your feelings deepens your self-discovery journey.

• Better decision-making: When you decide based on how you feel, you will feel empowered with certainty.

• Stronger boundaries: understanding how you feel and how it affects your well-being helps you to more effectively say no when needed.

• Increased resilience: Trusting your feelings builds confidence to face uncertainty; the more you face uncertainty, the more assertive you become.

• Enhanced relationships: Being in touch with your feelings helps you become more compassionate to the needs of others.

  
  

Tips for staying true to your feelings:

• Begin each day by journaling about how you are feeling.

• Go deeper and, in your journal, express without boundaries why you are feeling that way. Your journal is a safe space to express yourself without the fear of judgement.

• When making decisions, close your eyes and feel how each option feels.

• Be consistent and return to each entry journal to add how making that decision based on how you felt turned out. And especially notice how you feel after you've made it, honoring your feelings.