Exciting times: this blog post marks the first in a series of very random things that made me feel…something this week.
I say something because not every week is a happy one, nor is every week a sad one. Nor an exciting, boring, thrilling, upsetting, or insert-adjective-here one. This periodic series will aim to recognize and respect those feelings, whatever they may be.
I think one of the most important mental health practices is acknowledging our various thoughts and feelings as valid rather than trying to cover them up or push them aside. In acknowledging them, we’re no longer helpless–we are empowered to do something about them. Whether by making adjustments, big or small, or by simply appreciating whatever gave us that feeling, we are suddenly agents of our mental health, rather than passive experiencers.
Anyway, here’s something that made me feel this week.
That, of course, is the final celebration scene from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It makes me feel joy for the fun that I have felt with Star Wars throughout my life, a melancholy for the loss of my youth; it makes me laugh at myself that an admittedly silly-at-times film series can still make me feel that way.
So what can I do about all that? Keep watching those movies for that rush of emotion over and over again, sure. Another option is to find other ways to achieve a similar joy with people in my life; I could also encourage my peers not to be embarrassed by enjoying things that other people look critically upon– after all, there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure.
What was a feeling you felt this week? What made you feel that way? What is something you can do about it?
This post is part of Alex’s Something Series. Click here to read Week 2’s post.
