Angry and Grateful Can Coexist

Have you been happy and angry at the same time? Grateful and fearful?

I know I’ve been there. Really excited about an upcoming trip and at the same time anxious about what could go wrong… so happy to be digging into my favorite dessert and also feeling guilty about the calories and sugar.

I know my clients have been there. So thrilled that they feel like themselves again and have Energy to spare (especially after doing the Master Your Own Energy Course) and at the same time fearful that Burnout will happen all over again. 

I know you’ve been there. Just pick a scenario, any scenario and you’ll find remnants of more than one emotion and you’ve probably felt guilty about the ‘negative’ ones – this article here to change all that.

It begs the question: CAN EMOTIONS COEXIST?

Many self-help experts and spiritual guides claim that if you focus on the good, on love, on gratefulness then it outshines everything else. I’ve read books that claim when you are feeling grateful, you cannot feel fear or anger. I call BS.

We are a mixed bag of emotions, people.

If you look at the very origins of Chinese medicine, you will be lead to Daoism. When you look at Daoism, the first thing you learn about is the Taichi, more commonly known as the yin yang symbol.

This is meant to be a representation of all things. Literally. ALL THINGS. Emotions included. Also, the shape of this symbol is meant to imply that this image is moving. The white grows and grows until it reaches it’s highest potential and then changes into black and vice versa.

The white represents yang and the black represents yin. Each holds a seed of the other – take a look, there’s a little black in the white and a little white in the black.

This means that nothing in the world exists without the seed of it’s opposite.

Think on that for a second.

That means that in moments of pure happiness, there is a seed of sadness. In moments of pure gratefulness, there is a seed of fear. In moments of pure anger, there is a seed of love. We could go on and on.

This theory can help to keep you even-keeled. It reminds us that we are human and full of contradictions. It reminds us that not only is it possible to feel happy and sad or angry and grateful at the same time – it is the most natural thing in the world.

It reminds us, most importantly, that none of these feelings, emotions, or states of being are permanent. They will always change, in fact they MUST always change. By allowing space for all parts of our emotional experience, we can move through emotions with more ease, more grace, and more distance.

XOXO
C