After a hard day of work, all I wanted to do was forget about my day—and forget about how I was feeling. I would walk in the door and head straight for the refrigerator. After I stuffed myself with a pint of ice cream, I’d watch some TV and then crash in bed. The next morning I’d wake up and start the whole thing over again.

I get together regularly with a group of moms, and as luck would have it, a woman in my group told me about a women’s weekend with the Wright Leadership Institute. I decided to go. During the training, I started feeling very sad. Normally I’d choke back my tears so I wouldn’t embarrass myself and get “out of control.” But this time felt like it was okay to cry. I let myself sob even though I was still pretty self-conscious.

Then one woman leader said something to me that I had never heard before. She told me my crying was beautiful. I couldn’t believe my ears. How could she think this runny-nosed, makeup-smudged, red-eyed woman was attractive? I actually wasn’t so sure about how I looked, but I did feel better. Maybe there was something to what she said. I decided to let it in.

I noticed that I felt more open, relieved, and relaxed after letting my tears out. Not only that but I felt more energized and nourished. This began a whole new journey for me with feelings.

Now after a hard day of work, I don’t use junk food to feel better. I have a good cry if I need it, I share my joy with my family, or I say when I’m angry—this feels much better than stuffing my face.

I know now that my past beliefs about feelings and taking care of myself were really distorted. Real comfort doesn’t come from food. It comes from expressing my feelings—and I’ve found that that’s the best care I can give myself.

I learned the power of feelings in my life