The only ultimate “happiness” in life comes by “facing into” our issues, emotional pain and loss and dealing with the realities of one’s life. Avoidance, denial, addictions (often functions to keep feelings out of awareness) and general defensiveness about ourselves, our situations and our feelings really get us no where fast! Facing it head on or facing toward (more slowly but still facing in!) are the “best life strategies” but no one needs to do that alone.
Availing yourself of the help that is out there is paramount to healing and emotional well-being. In fact, it takes a wise, strong person to ask for help, contrary to the typical notion that “If I ask for help, I am weak.”
As a nation, we have put so much stock into being “self-sufficient” and “not needing anyone to get into our business”-so much so that people continue to emotionally suffer terribly. We are not taught about our feelings (basic emotional intelligence) in school so where else is one to learn about the language and experience of feelings? Most people have a hard time identifying their feelings and if they can identify the feeling,they often don’t know where it is coming from, what it is about or what to do! So many people have been taught to “push down” feelings or just ignore them. Bad idea…leads to depression and anxiety!
As it stands today in our society, mental health practitioners are the “emotional intelligence” teachers. Functioning in this world with low emotional intelligence is like walking around with two broken legs-you are not going to get too far!
With the help of our equines, who for survival sake, have had to become highly emotionally attuned, we also can learn and grow in our emotional intelligence. Knowing what is happening outside of me and inside of me is essentially accomplished by becoming emotionally skilled-leading to emotional intelligence. “Horse sense, n: stable thinking.” Let’s face it; Let’s go for it!
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