1. Find it - Overwhelming emotions can often make you feel like a mess. So in order to deal with the mess, you have to find it first. Use your senses, scan your body from head to toe and locate the emotions. Ask yourself where you feel this emotion. Head, chest, a knot in the stomach? Notice your breathing. With time, this practice will give you an understanding into your body and the most common places it feels and stores emotions. This might take some practice before you can find it on the spot because many people tend to be more in their minds than focused within the body. Remember, your feelings are never in your mind, they’re always in your body.
Once you’ve located the emotions, try to understand it. Start by describing it - in any way.
You can give it a name, a color, a shape or all 3 and more. Don’t feel the need to describe it perfectly, this isn’t an English class. Talking or writing about how you feel and where you feel it is a good way to increase emotional intelligence thereby, getting better at expressing it. When you know what you’re dealing, you’ll have a better understanding at how to deal with it.
2. Ask yourself why - Emotions, more importantly, negative emotions are not meant to hurt you, even if they are painful. There are some powerful and life changing lessons that come from emotions because it contains valuable lessons and many times, they’re sending you a message that there’s a part of you that needs attention and healing. So the next step is figuring out what this message is, what this emotion is telling you. I’m going to focus on negative emotions here because no body ever questions happy and positive emotions.
If you notice that what you’re feeling is anger, it’s because you are triggered. Someone could have said something or perhaps certain events transpired that triggered an emotional response. You need to start asking why until all (or most) of the layers are peeled.
3. Breathe work - You breath, but do you know the power of every breathe you take? Through the simple yet magical act o breathing you can lessen stress, lower your anxiety levels and bring calm to your whole being. There are many types of breathework but there’s one in particular that I myself practice on a daily basis and it has done wonders for my energy, focus and emotional regulation. It’s easy and simple and really does the trick to relax.
- Step 1: inhale into your belly
- Step 2: exhale through the nose
- Repeat this cycle for about 5-7 minutes. You will notice dropped shoulders, an unclenched jaw and a clear mind.
Through this practice you will feel the energy moving through your body, tingles everywhere and it could possibly bring on some emotions so don’t be afraid to let it out. Cry it out, shake it off, write it out. Think of the release as a kind of internal clean up of the emotional mess you sometimes feel but never get to clean up. Whatever feels right.
4. Let it go
Our human nature is such that we love to hold on to things, because they’re ours. Whether it’s people, places, things, memories, feelings, we hold on because they have such a strong hold on us emotionally. So that makes this the most challenging part of the process, it seems. But not impossible. The key to letting go is trust. With every exhale from the previous step, trust yourself to go ahead and let it go, knowing full well that you will be okay on the other side. If you can’t trust yourself then know for sure you can trust God. He is always taking care of you and you can trust Him to continue to do so.
By letting go
- You get rid of emotional baggage you’ve been lugging around for too long
- You clear your mind from accesive thinking
- You clear your body from negative energy
- You clear your spiritual space for more and better things to come
- Your perspective changes to see the world differently, clearly
About
Naseeha Tayob Ibrahim
I speak. I write. I coach.
I want to make the world a better place.
As an avid reader and writer, it’s no surprise that communications became my career and line of work. There is never one thing in particular that defines who I am, except the fact that I am passionate about everything I do. That made me the odd one out most of my life. It made realize how important it is to listen to my heart.
- hashtag for Post: #mentalhealth #lifecoach #personaldevelopment #spirituality #emotions
