Last week was about candy and toxic positivity.  This week is about Spider-man’s Spidey-sense and what emotions communicate to us. 

Spider-man is one of my favorite superheroes.  On top of his super strength, amazing agility, web swinging, and wall climbing, he also has his Spidey-sense.  His Spidey-sense is his body communicating with him that something isn’t quite right, so he can take action.  Maybe, it’s a warning of a sneak attack that is going to happen.  He feels his Spidey-sense, understands the meaning, and then he dodges the sneak attack.  Maybe, it’s a warning that he’s being deceived.  He feels his Spidey-sense, understands the meaning, and then keeps his eyes open for deception.  Whatever the situation, by listening to his Spidey-sense he is better prepared to face whatever is happening.

What does Spider-man’s Spidey-sense have to do with emotions?  I don’t know about you, but sometimes I treat emotions as something that I just need to get through.  This is particularly true for emotions we consider to be negative.  When I experience those, I want to just get them out of my system as soon as possible so I can go back to feeling happy again.  Do you ever feel this way? (#toxicpositivity)

What if emotions are our own Spidey-sense?  How would things change if we treated emotions as sensations that were trying to communicate something to us?  I know that whenever I take time to truly sit with my emotions and listen to them, I learn more about myself.  As a human, I may not always know what I want/need out of life, but love or sadness or anger or joy can be key to helping me discover these things.  I only need to be willing to listen.

The challenge: Are you listening to what your emotions are telling you?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry