The other day I could feel sadness and anger building up inside of me. Sometimes these emotions seem like an inconvenience, “Not now! I don’t have time for a break down!” In the past I would deny and push away my feelings. I would keep running around staying busy and these emotions would build and build, leaving me either in a state of overall numbness or eventually exploding (cue alcohol…)
I have enough awareness and experience now to know that suppressing emotions doesn’t work. Am I perfect at feeling my feelings all the time? No, I’m human! And my old coping strategies “worked” my whole life… However, when we practice shifting our patterns we get better and better at it. Funny how that works!
So, later that evening I made a date with my feelings rather than playing another episode on Netflix. I gave myself time to let it all out. Cry until there was nothing left. Punch and yell into my pillow, feel the rage, frustration, grief!
It was raw, vulnerable, and honestly uncomfortable at times. But it also felt amazing!!!
That release let me come out of my numb state and even come back to joy and peace.
Think of this like the “storm before the calm” rather than the other way around.
Emotions are energy in motion. They are meant to come up, come out, and be released!
If we don’t feel the “bad” we also cannot feel the “good.” Suppression works both ways.
So, what might you be resisting today? Are you open to feeling it all? Letting it out?
Here are some ideas for accessing and releasing emotion:
Set a timer for 10 minutes, find a quiet space, close your eyes and breathe. Feel what is present in your body. Be with it without judgement. > Google Tara Brach RAIN meditation for a little extra guidance with this!
Do a feeler: > Video Chat (or real time) with a trusted friend and ask them set a timer for 5 minutes to sit in silence with you while you describe how you feel in your body. They are not to give advice or talk. Just be with you and listen. It may seem uncomfortable at first, but this practice is incredible.
Music - Find a song that evokes emotion and let yourself feel it!
Dance, yoga, walk, run, bike, shake, yell, move your body! Sometimes when I let my body do what it wants to do…the emotion comes along for the ride.
Brain dump - Without judgement or overthinking, let yourself write and write, pen and paper, get it all out until there is nothing left. Don’t hold back!
Breathwork - look up a free resource online or send me a message. Breath is one of the most powerful tools to unlock and release stuck emotions in the body.
What else works for you? Comment below!
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