I Forgot How To Feel| A Mental Health Series Part 2

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A quick recap, we talked about how we block our emotions. It seems like a superpower when you do it and we’ve said statements like ‘I don’t have time to feel’ or ‘I’m protecting my heart’. But if we're being honest it's a temporary fix, one way or the other you’ll need to address your emotions for the sake of your health. We also pointed out the traits that people with repressed emotions inhibit and their potential causes. So now you’re in too deep, how do you save yourself from yourself? 

Source: Healthline

Before we get into it, it’s not going to be easy I tell you but it will take practice, like a lot. It’s harder to break habits than making them. Habits are the small decisions we make every day and the actions we perform every day. Our lives are essentially a sum of our habits and what we continuously do. How you push away emotions? How guided you are? How it’s difficult for you to be loving or affectionate? What you spend your thinking about? The good, and the bad. It ultimately forms the person you are, your personality and what you believe in.

Source: Healthline

Blocking your emotions weighs down your energy. The reason why emotional holders feel tired for no reason and congested, eventually it breaks a person’s spirit. They jeopardize your health – both mentally and physically. So I explained the why now we move to the how (is there anything we do about it)? I certainly don’t have all the answers but I’ll share what I’ve learned.

Recognizing the causes is very important. Whether it’s childhood trauma or fear of confrontation.

“Negative feelings, such as anger, fear and sadness are very unpleasant to experience. Often, such feelings, if taken seriously, require a person to take action of some sort. For example, if a friend disappoints you or makes you angry, it might be necessary to confront the person. Confrontation can be very anxiety producing and painful, and many people mistakenly believe the best way to deal with these feelings is put them out of mind.” Susan Kolod

To deal with repressed feelings start emotional expression practices like: 

• Check-in with yourself and your feelings. From time to time ask yourself if you’re okay and if you’ve a hard time, try journaling or going to a secluded place and scream your lungs out if you've to or even find music that matches your mood. That way you get to understand your feelings and feel the feeling in real-time.

• Let go of judgement or undermining the emotions you’re feeling. Most times we restrict ourselves from some feelings but instead find the reason for the feeling. The more you understand yourself and practice, you replace a bad habit with a good one.

• Make it habit to share your emotions with your closest circle, using phrases with ‘I’ when expressing your feelings. 'I feel helpless.' 'I was annoyed by your sarcastic remark.' 'I didn't appreciate your behaviour last night.' This doesn’t only help you get comfortable with your emotions but improve your relationships, as well as your health and encourage people to share, too.

P.S. Don't be too hard on yourself, feelings and emotions are what makes us human after all.