Emotions can be tricky, or instead, we make them tricky. We label them as “Good” and “Bad” feelings, which encourages us only to feel specific emotions and run away from others.
Let’s look at what most call “Good” emotions:
- Happiness
- Love
- Pleased
- Inspired
- Motivated
- Relaxed
- Peaceful
- Amused
And now the “Bad” emotions:
- Depressed
- Heavy
- Upset
- Jealousy
- Rejected
- Abused
- Angry
How do you feel when you see the emotions you sometimes or frequently experience listed as “Bad”?
I’ll share how I feel: I felt “bad” or broken when I was told I should not be feeling jealousy, anger, depression, or sadness. I felt there was something wrong with me. I then masked those emotions with the “Good” feelings. The masking is the beginning of us losing our identity – we cover up what we feel and eventually who we are so that we fit in with a world that loves to tell us who we should be. Losing our identity takes us down the rabbit hole of continuous masking, and others’ identities become our own.
What happens when we suppress our emotions? Stress translates to physical pain and, of course, mental and emotional upset. Some may experience bursts of anger, frustration, and weeping when feelings are hidden. Many people may feel this physically as low back pain, rib pain, or blockage in the throat. We are all living a different life than the next, and everyone’s body is not the same, so the same emotion can bring pain in other areas depending on the person. While I experience rib pain and low back pain when I feel anger, someone else may experience rib pain and stomach issues – it all lies at the root of the emotion.
Emotions are human nature; they are essential for us to feel. They are vital to experience good health. Our emotions do not create illness within us; dwelling in emotion or stagnation of emotion is what harms us. We either decide to live our lives through these emotions, or we decide to evade these emotions by stuffing them down – this creates stagnation. This creates a loss of identity. This creates tension physically, mentally, and emotionally.
How can you release your emotions? Again, this depends on the person, but here is a list of things that may help everyone and is healthy to partake in:
- Breathing Meditation
- Nature Walk
- Barefoot Walk – Earthing
- Craniosacral Therapy
- TaiChi
- Yoga
- Journaling
- Acupuncture
- Exercising
- Massage
- Therapy
Another thing essential to the list, and it’s the most important thing, is You. Get to know yourself. Sit with yourself. Many say, “I don’t know how to do that” or “I don’t know where to start.” Well, you’re already doing the work by reading this blog. Ask yourself, “What brings me joy, happiness, calmness?” or to bring about the locked away emotion, ask, “What makes me emotional? Why?” When you think you’ve asked “Why?” enough, ask it again. When you feel that emotion arise, let it come, and at the moment, ask yourself, “What am I feeling? Why?”
Why do we label emotions as “Bad”? I believe it is a scary and shadowy path to walk down, and many are afraid of losing themselves, but it is in the shadows where we find the light. We don’t have to take it all on at once; we can do it slowly.
There are zero “Bad” emotions – they just “Are.” When we work to let them come, feel them, and understand them, we can let them go. This is a continuous reminder for myself, for all of us – it is a journey. While you’re on that journey, please remember that I, and your other practitioners, are here to walk beside you in the shadows.
Erica Ware – Owner of Holistic Bodywork
Holistic Bodywork 