Life is always 50/50, meaning 50% positive emotions and 50% negative emotions. This contrast is necessary in order to feel something and become aware of it. If we were happy all the time, we wouldn’t know what happiness is. We only know what happiness is because we can contrast it with sadness for example. Experiencing our negative emotions is important if we want to be able to experience our positive ones.
Whatever your circumstances, life will always be 50/50. Because your emotions come from your thoughts and not from your circumstances. If you become rich, you will have rich people’s 50/50 life. The “rewards” and the “problems” that come with it, meaning the positive and negative thoughts you will have about your new life. It’s still 50/50, but with a different flavor.
Whatever your circumstances, you should be able to experience all your emotions, including happiness, joy, fulfillment, peace, excitement, etc. Going through cancer is no exception. In the moment, you can find reasons to feel happy and joyful. If you are not able to find happiness and joy in this moment (meaning if you cannot find thoughts that generate those feelings), you will unlikely find them once you’ve finished your treatment.
Take this opportunity to practice the skill of allowing your emotions. Practice allowing yourself to feel negative feelings when “times are good” and allowing yourself to feel positive feelings when “times are bad”. Allowing an emotion means letting the emotion arise without reacting, avoiding or pushing it away. Just being a silent observer and noticing the thought that triggered the emotion.
We’ve been created to feel. The richness of life comes from our ability to feel our emotions. And it has nothing to do with our circumstances.
With love,
Laurent