[Irine]

The saying "balance your feelings they are only feelings" gives a suggestion that one is just a stupid ****. That the feelings are not valid not normal - and then one can spend a LIFE TIME of "whats wrong with me?"

[madisgram]

i hope this article will help you. in therapy i learned "feelings are not necessarily facts." this helped me distinguish between the two.

Give yourself permission to question the validity of your feelings. Our feelings are an important part of our humanity, but when we let them run our lives or assume that they are always logical, we easily become mired in inactivity and depression. Feelings are real, but they are not facts. Practice asking yourself, "What am I thinking that is making me feel so depressed"? What are the beliefs underneath the feeling?

http://www.annedranitsaris.com/feelings_article.html

[faerie_moon_x]

I think it is important to be aware of your feelings, but feelings are actually a chemical thing. They are a chemical response to whatever is going on around you. They signal your brain into an action, which helps you and others relate to the outside world.

For example, if you're scared you are getting addrenalin so that you can fight or flee. Some people cannot regulate their chemicals properly due to problems with that system, like too much or too little chemicals.

But, it is important to work towards a reality check. You can for sure be angry at something that is false. You can be scared about something that is not scary. You can cry for things that are not sad. This is why it is important to work toward understanding your feelings instead of instantly reacting to them. Identifying cause and effect. It isn't easy at all. Our feelings easily blind us.

Some people may never be able to balance their feelings. But you can learn to better understand them. Understanding will give you tools to change your reaction to a feeling. Like G.I. Joe used to say "Knowing is half the battle."