There is a very dark, lonely, cold place where only the brave go - that is the back of my fridge. Last week I found a jar of some unrecognisable substance stuck frozen to the side of the fridge. The use by date was, well put it this way, it was a long time ago!! I decided I would go through and throw out all those other jars, packets whose use by dates have expired.

I was thinking how easy it was throw them out when I saw the old use by date. I started to think why can't I get rid of old emotions, harmful thoughts, critical sayings, negative feelings as easily.

Wouldn't it be great if emotions and feelings had a use by date, they would be so easy to erase.

That angry feeling I had towards my parents for how they treated me over 40 years ago - out it goes.

That worthlessness I felt when a teacher showed the class how messy my maths test was - thrown away.

That pity I have felt because I have a mental illness label - shredded.

You get the idea. If we could discard useless, out of date even harmful emotions and thoughts as easily as we do food, wouldn't that make our lives easier.

I am not saying that removing these thoughts and emotions will be easy, we have had them for so long, that sometimes we may have even forgotten how they started.

The hoarder in me always wants to hold onto things just in case, but even I recognise I have so many damaging thoughts and emotions that really have no use in my life now or, to be honest, ever contributed anything.

Can you think of one feeling, thought or emotion in your life that is well past its use by date?

Leah

A Moodscope member.