Ways to Express Your Emotional Pain the Healthy Way

John D. (Jack) Mayer states that “Emotions operate two major levels; physical and psychological.  Dr. Maurice Elias on the other hand, says, “Emotions are human beings’ warning systems as to what is really going on around them.  In other words, they act as an indicator of how things are going on in one’s lives. Emotions help by keeping us in check to make sure that we are not only controlled by our mental reasoning. Emotions control thinking, actions and behavior. A person who suppresses their emotions are not healthy beings and are subjecting themselves to physical illness. There are two types of emotions; positive and negative. Negative emotions are the ones that cause emotional pain and they include; frustration, fear, negativity etc.

1. Open Up

The first step to express your emotional pain is to open up. You can choose to open up to a counselor or someone close to you. But while at it, you need to keep an open mind to the person you are talking to. This will enable the counselor to understand you better on where the negativity is coming from. You should also ask for feedback to check up on your progress.

2. Learn How to Monitor Your Feelings

• Allow yourself to feel your emotions.

You do not necessarily have to bury your feelings or ignore them as this will only cause you more and more pain and damage to your body. Instead, you have to express the pain. You can express the pain through various channels.

• Stop being so negative

You should monitor your internal dialogue to keep out negative emotions from your mind. Instead of telling yourself how terrible a situation is, you can be more positive by telling yourself how you are in a bad situation but you will get over it. You should also rationalize your mind to know that getting angry won’t solve anything for you.

• Watch yourself as you talk to others

Once you have gained control of your emotions, you should watch how you talk to others and restraint yourself from uttering negative words that will only serve to frustrate or anger you. Take time and think whether you would like to be told whatever you are telling other people. You should also own up to certain things. You should not sound accusatory when you express your emotions to others. Find out creative ways to increase your intuition here.

3. Learn to Manage Your Emotions Physically

• Engage in Exercise

Exercise is a very effective way of dealing with negative emotions. Slow exercises such as yoga help one to relax. When done regularly, exercise calms down a distressed soul. In addition, it is good for your physical fitness, your heart, and emotional wellbeing. You can also take a nice walk in nature to relax the body.

• Develop relaxation techniques.

There are several relaxation techniques such as; listening to slow music and deep-breathing exercises. Inspiring Quotes are a great way to comfort your emotions in times of loneliness.

• Meditation

To meditate, sit in a relaxed, comfortable position with both feet on the ground then close your eyes. Take deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly and gently for at least 10 minutes. Once you are completely relaxed, you can feel your heart and imagine yourself somewhere relaxing.  Stay with this feeling for as long as you can.  Over time, meditation will cleanse out the negative emotions from your body.

4. Expressing Feelings Through Creativity

• Use of Art

Art therapy is a useful way to express emotions. Art therapy provides an individual with an opportunity channel their feelings on a piece of paper on any other writing material, like a canvass. There are many types of art one can engage in and eventually develop it into a hobby. For example, one can paint, sing, play a musical instrument, dancing or even collecting antique pieces of art.

• Keep a Journal

Writing about what you feel can help you understand what triggered the negative emotions and help you understand yourself better. In this way, instead of reacting negatively, you channel all the anger, hurt or fears into a book. This journal when taken to counseling sessions, will help your counselor to get an honest view of your feelings and understand the situation you are in better. Here are a number of great writing tips to help you get along.

5. Alienate Yourself from the Situation

Once you have identified your emotions and realized whatever is causing you emotional pain, you need to alienate yourself from the situation and the emotion. For example, if there are certain friends pressurizing you to engage in acts that are against your beliefs and have refused to understand you, you can simply stop associating with them.

Source: Expanded Consciousness