What happens when you repress your emotions?
Well, repressing them does not make them go away. Repressing emotions and experiences has been shown to have a great impact on our well-being and on our physical and psychological health. This can lead to a lot of different consequences, ranging from feelings of isolation or tiredness to more severe consequences like depression. More generally, it can bring a lot of pain. A pain that might be much more intense than it would have been if you had felt your emotions in the moment instead of bottling them up.
So, what is the alternative? Feeling them!
Feeling your emotions can feel uncomfortable, scary, annoying, and a number of other negative things. Especially if you don't know how to cope with them in a healthy way.
So, what can you do? Tell me in the comments how you have been coping with your emotions so far and continue reading to find out three things that can be helpful!
Here are three things you can try:
#1 Learn to name your emotions
Feeling them is good, but it is difficult to do so when they are all mixed up and confusing. So start by learning to name them. Are you feeling angry or is it fear? Or embarassement? Naming them also makes them feel a little less scary.
#2 Find a way to express them
Expressing your feelings can take a lot of different forms. You could try to express them by writing, painting or doing some other creative activity. You might also want to do it through exercise. Talking to someone else, no matter if it is someone close to you or a professional, is also a great way to do it. Find a way that feels good to you, that fits your values and your interests. It might not feel natural at first, it might be hard in the moment or right after, but it will make you feel better in the long term.
#3 Learn that "negative" emotions are not bad news
Calling sadness, fear, frustration, anger, etc. negative emotions, makes them seem like it is bad to feel them, that they should be avoided, but they actually play a very important role. They tell us when we are in danger, when we are doing something that is not aligned with our values, when we are suffering, when something bothered us. They are just signals in response to thoughts and situations, and they usually go away quickly when you acknowledge them, accept them, and let them go.
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