I grew up in Australia and the UK with an unfaltering Anglo Saxon message around emotions. "Do not feel too much" "Do let your emotions take over," and at all costs, "control them as they are unreliable."
I now believe emotions are our primary guidance system for helping us chart our path in Life and End of Life. As infants, we have this deep-seated inner knowing, and as we mature, this slowly dissipates, leaving us feeling empty and unsure around the question, "Can we trust our emotions?"
They inform us of where we are and help us discover where we wish to be. Yet if the emotion is uncomfortable or painful, it's easy to bury the thought or response both for us as individuals and for society.
My path is as a coach and guide for my clients. I help them navigate through aspects of their life's journey and to consider an End of Life Plan. This practice requires us to face many uncomfortable emotions — the fears, uncertainties, and unknowns around this subject.
We look at many areas of Life in the present to see what is essential and valuable, and this informs us of what will be of importance in the last chapter.
During this process, we pull apart what instigates these emotions. Fear is like a fog. The longer you stand amidst it, you find it slowly dissipates, and your vision improves. We discover standing in amongst the pillars of difficult emotions it is possible to gain insights around Life in the now, and that helps to inform us of the End of Life priorities we hold.
The emotional GPS within each of us helps us on this journey, furthering more learning around the emotional guidance we have ignored over the years.