Welcome to Daily SPARC – each weekday our chaplains, friends from the Penn Religious Communities Council and other voices from campus will be posting messages of support and encouragement.

Today’s message is from our friend Theron Huff chaplain for Young Life at Penn.

Engage your emotions

Bad things happen – always. Yet so few often share in our grief and none can do so completely. In a world of soundbites, screens and speed we are not often given opportunity to reflect and engage our emotions. The speed of our world, for the majority of people, has come to a screech, the soundbites and screens continue though. I encourage you to find time today to set those aside, take time to reflect and engage your emotion – there is a good chance there is something worth lamenting in your life right now that has been dismissed, ignored, overlooked or resisted.

A helpful practice I often encourage is called “exploring the iceberg”. Give yourself 2 minutes per question and journal anything that comes to mind. 

Ask yourself: 

What am I angry about? 

What am I sad about? 

What am I anxious about?

What am I glad or content about? 

It is not only okay to emote, it is good to emote.