Emotional Wellness & Love - Perspective Granted

Tomorrow is Valentines so let’s talk about our emotional wellbeing, and showing ourselves love and care because emotional wellness is important. As I am writing this I do have the flu and I’m drinking hot tea, but emotional wellness isn’t taking a backseat even while I am sick.

When I am well I am more active, and one of the activities that is both physical and emotional for me is dance. I dance for fun, I freestyle to songs that I enjoy because it makes me happy, but I also freestyle to songs that speak to my emotions and how I feel at any given time. Dance allows me to release the feelings that seem pent up, and although I am a talker sometimes when I feel like there is nothing more I can say I speak through movement to express myself, and to release what I feel. Movement can be very therapeutic. Freestyle allows me to connect with myself, and dance classes allow me to connect with my community and my friends, which fills me with love and care.

When I am not in the mood to be active, like this past week since I have been sick and have had a lack of energy, this is when I write. I write poems about how I feel, whether it is emotions triggered by my own mind, or emotions that come from a situation involving another living soul. I write exactly what I feel, whether it’s pain, joy, or about change. There are times when I have said all I could say to a person, but the emotions are still there, there are times when people aren’t receptive to hearing my thoughts and feelings, and sometimes it is about a past pain that I write about to process, express and then release. I often turn to poetry to express myself, to create, and to release my emotions.

Showing up for myself in these ways validates my feelings, and I give myself permission to express what I feel and what I need.

Below is a poem I wrote about having standards and no longer wanting to settle in a romantic relationship, and the things I hear from people about me having standards and not wanting to settle for just anyone that comes my way.

Standards

I see the signs quickly
But to others, I ask for too much
I see the red flags
They say I should give them a second thought
Nobody’s perfect nobody’s flaw free
So apparently the problem is basically me
How dare I have standards
That’s the narrative I perceive
Me wanting more for me
They say that’s why I’m single, flying solo, riding free
Lower my standards they say
That’s something I will never do
I ask for the bare minimum
I ask for a person’s love to be honest and true
A priority I’m deserving of being in this life
Just because they allow themselves to settle
Doesn’t make settling right in my life
I tell people don’t be mad at me for wanting more because you want less
I’m not judging your life
But in my life I want to feel the best
Loved,considered and seen as I am
I’m not dealing with red flags in my peaceful royal land

Gabrielle