CULTURAL PROGRAMS
It seems as though culturally we have been trained to stuff our emotions. As a crying child an adult would tell you to “calm down” or “be quiet”. When you were angry you may have been told to “stop it” or you would be punished. Generationally we have been programmed to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”, “buck up”, “grin and bear it”, the list goes on. Although it is very important to learn to find the positive amidst adversity, it doesn’t mean to keep swallowing and storing every negative emotion that comes up for you.
THE VOLCANO
Think about your stored negative emotions like a volcano. If those emotions sit brewing until the pressure is too high they erupt. History proves a lot of human erupting volcanoes! Whether it is personal relationships with family members or friends, at the job site with co-workers, traffic lines or airport terminals, the political arena, or worldwide wars, they are the repercussion of brewing human volcanoes. When emotions are not handled properly, they find a storage space in the body creating a general imbalance in our bodies and when triggered, they can be inappropriately projected on others or even ourselves. The key for humans is catching them and releasing them before they erupt!
MISSING COMPONENT
In school, we have been very well educated on how to solve mathematical equations, identify the difference between a noun and verb, or recite dates of historical events. Although these are very important educational pieces, we miss a huge component of learning how to handle being human. You may have taken a health class to teach you the importance of eating good foods or exercising but when was there a lesson on how to handle emotions? When were you told that you aren’t a bad person if you feel angry?
HONOR EMOTION
Understand it is normal to feel anger, it is safe to feel sad. Most children are not validated in their human experience and many times punished for expressing themselves. Most adults have been wounded children and have been programmed to stuff it. Today, I want to invite you to feel your emotions. However uncomfortable it may feel at first, it is a much healthier and effective way of letting go of uncomfortable emotions once and for all. Instead of letting the volcano boil and bubble until eruption, I want to share a simple tool to keep your emotions from being stuffed and stored and creating havoc in your life.
WRITE AND RELEASE
I like to call it the WRITE and RELEASE Technique. Take a pen and paper and begin your sentence with the words ” I feel (insert your emotion) because….”. This is the space to freely write how you are feeling. There is no judgement or consequence for writing what is coming up for you. Allow all multiple emotions to surface as you continue to write why you feel a certain way. There is no time limit. Just keep writing until you feel the surge of emotions rise and fall. Once you are finished, take the piece of paper and tear it up, crumble, or find a safe place to burn it. This is a very powerful technique used to send a message to brain and the subconscious that the emotion is gone. And guess what? It really works! I suggest that you practice this daily as you are beginning to navigate life in a new way. Stuffing the emotions is habit. The Write and Release can become a habit just as much. I recommend you try this for at least 21 days to create this new healthier you!
If you have enjoyed this exercise and want more practical tools to guide you in managing your emotions, check out resources right here!
As a certified Emotional Release Facilitator, I can personally guide you in proven methods to release stored emotions and teach you ways to find more peace and joy in your life! To see if 1 on 1 sessions are a fit for you, schedule a FREE DISCOVERY CALL right here.
