If we’ve been connected for any amount of time, then you likely know how passionate I am about emotional health. As a “thinker” and a former “avoider,” I have finally–late in life–learned the value of feelings and emotion. Being married to someone that is a full-on “feeler,” I have also watched him learn to embrace his emotions without letting his feelings call the shots in his life. Mark and I are always helping others find the balance between feeling and faith, and that is why I am so excited about today’s conversation!
My guest today is Jessica Hottle who is passionate about helping us discover that when our soul is well, we can be well! Jessica is an author of a new book coming out, Face Off with Your Feelings: Break Up with the Lies From Your Past and Embrace the Truth for Your Future, and is a faith-based fitness coach, podcast host with a heart for teaching others how to dismantle lies that are preventing them from healing and wholeness.
In this conversation, Jessica shares the five steps for processing our emotions, our tendency to put a “faith band-aid” over how we feel, what it means for our feelings to point us to Jesus, common mistakes when it comes to navigating emotions, and a whole lot more. This is such an important topic and I can’t wait to hear what stands out most to you!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Jessica’s Website
- Follow Jessica on Instagram here and here
- Book Mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score
- Feeling Wheel
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks!
My Key Takeaways:
1) Don’t be afraid to bring your feelings to God. We have a habit of telling others or telling ourselves, “God is in control. God is good.” But this often acts as a “faith band-aid” when we never take the time to bring our feelings to Him. Yes, He is in control. Yes, He is good, but He also invites us to work out our feelings with Him.
2) “People are loved into truth. They are cared into truth. But they are not criticized into truth.” This quote really stuck with me. For those of us that are looking to help others in the process of navigating emotions, the most important thing to remember is that you don’t need to give your opinion of someone else’s story. The best way you can support someone is to simply listen to their story without providing advice, unless you’re invited to. Such an important shift for so many of us.
3) Accepting your feelings does not mean they are a part of your identity. Jessica shared the five steps for dealing with strong emotions. The third step was to accept your feelings. However, she made an important point to say “just because we accept the way we feel, it should not become a part of our identity.” Feeling sad does not mean you are a sad person. Feeling angry does not make you an angry person. Your identity is so much more than your emotions. We need to accept that we feel those emotions and take the time to process them, but our identity is secure in who God says we are.
About Jessica:
Jessica Hottle is a faith-based fitness coach, podcast host, best-selling author, and speaker with a heart for teaching women how to dismantle the lies that keep them from healing and wholeness. She is the author of 4 books with her new book coming out this fall titled Face Off with Your Feelings: Break Up with the Lies From Your Past and Embrace the Truth for Your Future. Jessica is the host of What’s The Truth, a show where she challenges the way her listeners think so they can change the way they live. Her writing has been featured by she works His way, Cross Training Couture, and Revelation Wellness. When she isn’t writing, speaking, or coaching you can find her enjoying time with her husband Jon, being a momma to their three cats, and spending her free time outside whenever she can (playing golf, hiking, reading, or writing in her journal). Learn more at https://www.jessicahottle.com/ —
