Day 80: Choosing Your Emotional Response

It can be difficult to accept our innate wholeness when we feel like something is missing, or that we’ve lost a part of ourselves.

Our focus tends to stay on the part that feels incomplete.

Alan Cohen says:

“When you refute wholeness, you are arguing with creation. You are saying that you are less than God created you to be. You are not a perfect human being, but you are a perfect expression of the divine. Quit arguing for your limits and reinforcing the problems of the world. Instead, make a stand for your unlimited nature and the blessings you own. The world is changed by people who see beyond it.”

When everything is going your way, that can feel easier to accept.

But when something painful happens, we create a story around it.

And that story often leaves out our role, our choices, or what we’re being shown.

We repeat that story.

We reinforce it.

And without realizing it, we can stay in that place longer than we need to.

Not because we want to feel stuck, but because it feels safer than looking inward and asking:

What now?

If you’re not naturally introspective, that can feel overwhelming.

And even if you are, it’s easy to latch onto one piece and spiral deeper into it.

This is where awareness comes in.

Simple awareness.

Checking in with yourself throughout the day.

What am I feeling right now?

What caused that shift?

You might see something that reminds you of what you went through, and your emotions drop.

Then something small happens.

You see someone walking a dog.

You stop and pet it.

Its tail wags.

You smile.

It licks your hand and for a moment, your heart fills.

There’s warmth. Connection. A small spark of joy.

Everything shifts.

And then… there’s a choice.

Do you stay with that feeling?

Or do you go right back to the thoughts of what’s missing?

Most of us don’t even realize we’re making that choice.

But we are.

Emotions are responses to what we focus on.

A memory.

A moment.

A thought about the future.

A story about the past.

And in each moment, you have the ability to shift.

Not all at once.

Not perfectly.

But gradually.

The more often you notice, the more often you choose differently.

And that’s where change begins.

Today’s Gentle Practice

Notice one small moment today when your emotional state shifts.

It doesn’t have to be big.

Just something simple.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself:

Do I want to stay with this feeling, or shift it?

If you choose to shift, gently reach for something that feels a little lighter.

A thought.
A memory.
A moment of connection.

Let it be simple.

You don’t have to force anything.

Just notice that you have a choice.

If you catch one of these moments today, you’re always welcome to reply and share.

With you,
Lynn