As much as it pains me to admit it, feelings are real. They’re not a figment of your imagination and they aren’t the devil. Feelings are very real and they can cloud your ability to think clearly.

It’s your feelings that make you human and sometimes you would rather run away from your feelings then look them dead in the face. Why? Because feelings are scary as hell.

Running away from your feelings is the easy way out. And even though I am 100 percent guilty of this, I know in the back of my mind that your feelings always catch up with you.

The same way a tequila shot does on a Saturday night, one minute you’re downing shots and chasing with a lime and the next you’re blacked-out, dancing the night away. Maybe you don’t confront tequila because you want to take that shot, but you can definitely confront your feelings.

Confronting your feelings isn’t an easy task, it’s something most of us dread doing but it’s necessary. The only way to feel better in any situation is to feel out your emotions and move on.

Relationships, jobs, friendships– these are all reasons we run away from our feelings instead of confronting them.

Maybe you’re afraid to walk away from that relationship you’ve waited so long for because you’re no longer interested.

Maybe you want to quit your dream job or terminate a toxic friendship.

Maybe you’re afraid of choosing the wrong guy or girl when faced with two options.

Even thinking about these hypothetical situations has me feelin’ some type of way.

But no matter what’s going on in your life, you enter fight or flight mode. And with that, most of us choose to run as far and as fast as we possibly can.

Avoiding your feelings makes them go away, doesn’t it? UM, NO.

You must do the one thing we’re all too cool to do; feeeel.

Imagine that, who knew it was so easy!!

Practice self-compassion.

I’m sure you have compassion for others when they are sad, angry or whatever they might be going through, so why don’t you have compassion for yourself?

Allow yourself to feel. If you take the time to understand and acknowledge your feelings, you will create compassion for yourself. It’s amazing how much you can alter your own mind by doing so.

We’re stuck with this notion that confronting our feelings is a weakness. However, people with the most emotional intelligence see this as a strength. If you stopped and took a moment to realize how you feel, maybe you would be able to change it. We forget that feelings are temporary.

We have the power to confront our feelings and face them, so why wouldn’t we do just that? I feel like the 2017 version of Rev. Run saying that, but it’s true, people!!

Emotions translate to physical energy.

Have you ever been upset and in-turn you to feel sick?

Have you ever ran away from certain feelings, causing you to become anxious?

It’s all because your emotions translate into physical energy. If your mind is telling your body that you’re upset and nervous, your body responds the same way.

Once you confront your feelings, feel them as hard as you possibly can, and release that energy, you will feel a sense of relief.

If you take the time to heal yourself, you will have the option to be genuinely happy. Isn’t that what we all strive for? To be the absolute happiest we can be?

Cry it out, scream at the top of your lungs if you have to and then let those feelings go.

Once you recognize how you feel, you’ll able to feel at ease again.