Embracing the Waves: Living and Feeling in Everyday Life

By PJ Valenciano

There’s a rhythm to life that often goes unnoticed, an ebb and flow, a series of waves that carry our emotions, our experiences, and our lessons. Sometimes the waves are gentle, brushing against the shores of our consciousness like a whisper. Other times, they crash, pulling us under with intensity we didn’t anticipate. But whether the tide is calm or tumultuous, there is always a lesson, always an invitation to embrace our humanity fully.

This morning, as the first light of day struggled to reach me, I felt one of those waves hit. I woke up to sharp words, criticism that pierced more than just the surface, and a cascade of judgments about how I live, how I care, and how I love. As someone deeply attuned to the energies around me, this moment could have lingered like a storm cloud, heavy and oppressive. Yet, in the midst of it, I remembered: life is not about clinging to the waves or trying to fight them. It is about feeling them, releasing them, and finding our own center amidst the currents.

The Power of Emotional Release

There’s a misconception that expressing emotion, particularly through tears, is a sign of weakness. Yet for those of us sensitive to the subtle currents of life, our own energy, the energy of others, and the unspoken vibrations around us, tears are not a weakness. They are a tool, a signal, and a release. When I stepped outside this morning and allowed myself to cry, alone, I felt the tension leaving my chest. The heaviness that words alone could not lift flowed through my tears, down my cheeks, and into the earth below.

Crying alone is a sacred act of self-care. It is invisible, private, and deeply restorative. It honors your emotions without needing to justify them to anyone else. It allows your energy to shift naturally, like a river finding its way back to the sea. The Sacred Power of TearsNow--- about those tears which I always say is the language of the soul, it’s healthier than you think! 

Tears are far more than a simple emotional response; they are a profound tool for healing on multiple levels. Spiritually, tears are a form of release, a way for the soul to let go of energies that no longer serve us. They carry the weight of unspoken emotions, unresolved grief, and subtle tension, allowing the heart to unclench and the spirit to regain balance.

Neurologically, crying triggers a cascade of physiological benefits. Emotional tears release stress hormones and toxins from the body, helping to regulate mood and reduce feelings of tension or anxiety. The act of crying also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling the body to enter a state of calm and restoration, which is why tears often leave us feeling lighter and more centered.

Psychologically, tears are a mirror of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. They signify an openness to our inner experience, a willingness to acknowledge vulnerability without judgment. When we allow ourselves to cry, privately or in safe spaces, we honor our emotions, build resilience, and cultivate a deeper connection with our own hearts. In essence, tears are not a weakness but a sacred pathway to healing, clarity, and emotional liberation.

Establishing a Relationship With Yourself 

Marisa Peer often emphasizes the importance of building a true relationship with yourself, the way you speak to yourself, honoring your needs, and recognizing your worth. If we neglect this relationship, everything else becomes heavier, more difficult, and more reactive.

Today, reminded that our emotions, our responses, and even our creative impulses are all signals from the self. Listening to them, honoring them, and tending to them is not indulgence; it is the foundation of living a conscious, fulfilled life. “No Mud, No Lotus.”  It’s in the challenging, uncomfortable, even muddy parts of life that the most beautiful growth emerges. Pain, tears, and struggle are not signs to retreat; they are the fertile ground from which wisdom, clarity, and joy blossom.

Creating Space for Healing

This also reminded me that we can honor our emotions without needing anyone else to see, understand, or approve. The private moments, the silent tears, the gentle breaths, the time spent alone with our hearts, are sacred.

True healing begins from within, and often the conscious effort to start through us and not through others. 

It begins when you allow yourself to feel, release, and tend to your inner world without external pressure. By creating this space within ourselves, we cultivate resilience, clarity, and compassion, not only for ourselves but also for everyone and everything around us.

The Ripple Effect of Presence 

One of the most profound realizations from this is that our presence matters in both the inner and outer worlds. For example, I am certain that my emotions, calmness, grounded energy, and even my tears have an impact on the animals in my care. They respond to my vibration, my heart, and my attention. They mirror the energy I carry and teach me, in return, how to remain anchored.

This is a gentle reminder: the way we treat ourselves, the care we give to our inner world, and the attention we pay to our emotions ripple outward. They nurture life, strengthen bonds, and foster connection in ways words alone cannot achieve.

Ultimately, life is a series of waves, and the lesson is not to resist them but to learn how to navigate them with awareness and grace. There will always be moments of tension, of criticism, of heaviness. There will also be moments of tenderness, release, and unexpected joy.

Choosing to see each wave as an opportunity to learn, to release, to express, and to reconnect. AND this is how we transform life from a series of challenges into a practice of presence and fulfillment. Even the smallest acts, such as the gentle care of an animal, a mindful breath, or a private moment of tears, can carry the potential for deep healing.

Life is not about perfection. 

Even in moments of challenge, even when criticism or judgment arises, there is always the choice to embrace the waves, to express our truth, and to honor the beauty of life unfolding, one heartbeat, one breath, one mindful, living moment at a time. “No Mud, No Lotus.”