I remember when I used to feel like this.
Life itself was fine…
…but internally, I was like…
Is this it?
Worse yet…
I’d felt that way for so long that it was, well… normal (for me at least).
I didn’t know anything else.
I had no reference point outside of my personal experience.
Looking back, it was like being locked out of life.
Locked out of all the good things people talk about:
Purpose.
Joy.
Meaning.
Passion.
Satisfaction and contentment.
Waking up (consistently) each day with gratitude, peace and genuine excitement for the day ahead.
Put another way…
I’m talking about life lived in full, blazing, ultra-high-definition color… not black, white and grey 🔥🔥🔥🔥
FEELING love on a daily basis, whether from your lover, family, pets or even from the majestic natural world that’s all around you.
FEELING so connected to your purpose that you’re willing to DO just about anything to see it through (tapping into a deep sense purpose is the real secret to success).
FEELING relaxed in your body (not just in your mind). In other words, a quiet mind is NOT enough. That’s just the mental aspect of relaxation.
The real test is do you feel it? In your BODY? Because relaxation is a feeling or bundle of sensations, not simply the absence of thoughts. Think about it. If your mind is quiet but your body is all tense and tight, is it accurate to call that “relaxed”? HELL NO.
The same test applies to love and purpose.
It’s one thing to THINK about your purpose. To journal and theorise and think it through. To read books about it and get someone else’s ideas on what your purpose should be. It’s another thing to FEEL your gut and heart (ie. your body) literally pulling you towards something. It’s not a mental thing. It’s physical (LET’S GET PHYSICAL BABY 💃).
Same with love.
It’s one thing to say “I love you”. It’s another thing to feel a love so deep and profound that tears come to your eyes and you are rendered speechless with gratitude 😍❤️🥰🥲
Here’s the crazy thing:
I’m not talking about some rare, crazy thing.
I’m talking about healthy human functioning.
These things do not need to be rare, hard-to-find items in your journey through life.
They can be your daily companion.
The trick is getting to the root problem.
If you feel like you’re locked out of life as I’ve described above – with a lack of feeling love, joy, purpose and real relaxation – it’s likely your nervous system is simply stuck in freeze mode.
In other words…
Due to a build-up of survival stress in your nervous system (from the life you’ve lived so far), your nervous system has decided to shut down all feeling (because it’s too painful or uncomfortable to feel).
That’s the problem.
The solution is to reestablish your ability to feel again 🥳
Learning to feel will gradually “defrost” the freeze mode of the nervous system.
This means feeling what’s waiting to be felt, and often that’s a lot of pain, disappointment, fear and frustration (and terror and rage), as well as a lot of surprising and strange physical sensations in your body.
But if you’re willing to feel all that, you’ll discover your ability to feel love, joy, purpose, meaning and true relaxation grows simultaneously.
That’s the purpose of Rageheart.
Teach people to feel again.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
Over time, the bad and ugly tend to dissolve and leave… while the good grows and Grows and GROWS 😍
If you’re interested in that, even if it means feeling some uncomfortable stuff along the way, join me inside Rageheart today:
Some people (usually dudes) think feeling is only for weak people.
But what’s true weakness?
Avoiding feeling because it makes you uncomfortable?
Or bravely choosing to feel what’s inside you even though it makes you uncomfortable?
Man (or woman) up. Learn to feel again 💪
Cheers,
John “Make Feeling Cool Again” Wood
P.S. Know anyone who struggles to feel anything at all?
Refer them to The Daily Growl (this email newsletter) and help them to reconnect with their feeling, sensational self (instead of simply their mind).