Let your emotions out
Well-being 🌿 | Manage your emotions 😌 | #Emotions #Control #Release
TL;DR
You might have been taught that expressing some negative emotions is socially not acceptable.
But expressing and releasing emotions is crucial for well-being.
Instead of bottling up negative emotions, you can find controlled ways to let them out, preventing them from building up and bursting uncontrollably later.
Seed
Expressing and releasing our emotions is important for our well-being. But many of us have been taught to suppress those emotions in many situations, or at least to hide them.
But instead of bottling up our negative emotions, we can find controlled ways to let them out. This way, we can avoid repressing them when they arise. And this will prevent them from slowly building up and bursting uncontrollably later.
Let's have a look at a few examples.
For anger, rather than lashing out at someone or destroying random things, we can direct our physical expression of anger towards a dedicated object. A punch ball or a stack of pillows can easily do the trick. Working out or going for a run can also be beneficial for releasing anger. Generally, physical activities requiring strength work really well. Just make sure to always warm up before releasing all that energy. Yelling in a pillow can also be nice, but be careful not to hurt your vocal cords.
When it comes to sadness, it's okay to isolate ourselves and allow tears to flow. Letting ourselves experience and express sadness can provide relief and help us process our emotions. It's okay to cry.
Pride is another strong emotion that some of us were taught to keep quiet. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of our achievements. It’s bragging about them and inconsiderately rubbing them in other people’s faces that are socially less acceptable.
The problem is that repressing pride can easily lead to eroding self-confidence. But there are ways to express pride in constructive ways.
For instance, you can write down your achievements in a dedicated place. That’s actually a great step for your get-out-of-the-rut-plan.
You can also find someone around you who’s willing to listen without judging. Or even best, share the happiness with you.
Remember that a stifled emotion often converts into what feels like inexplicable frustration in the long term.
Example
When I feel deeply angry, if I know I won’t bother anyone, I go punch some thick pillows in the bedroom. However, it can be noisy and stressful for others around. The alternative I really like is to do a quick warm-up and do push-ups until I literally can’t do any more. I like the idea that it’s a way to convert an emotion I don’t like into something actually good for my mind (expressing and releasing it) and my body (I could exercise a bit more daily, that wouldn’t hurt).
Bonus
It may not always be possible to express our emotions in every situation right when they appear. Therefore it's worth considering how we can prepare ourselves and have a plan to release our emotions in different contexts.
If you're submerged by anger in a meeting with a client, that's probably not the best moment to take out your punch ball or jump on the floor and do push-ups.
Generally, focusing on our breath is a great way to at least handle the emotion when it feels overwhelming until we can be in a more appropriate environment to fully express it.