It’s OK To Feel Emotions – Seriously
Why Emotions Are Good For You
We often are reminded to hit our step goal, drink that water, eat that apple, but how often are we reminded to check in with your mental state? Our emotions.
By taking a moment to value and acknowledge all the emotions you feel – “good” and “bad” – we start to be able to accept ourselves for where we are. Various studies have shown that by suppressing and ignoring how we feel can make these emotions feel stronger, bigger, and more upsetting leading to an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Great – So How Do I Notice My Feelings?
There’s an app for that. Or a journal. Or a mental note.
For sometime, like many years, I used an app that was quick and easy. I would rate my mood twice a day ranging from ‘couldn’t be worse’ to ‘incredible’ and then I could add little notes of what happened in my day that may or may not have contributed to my mood. You can do this same technique in a journal, or even just in your head. It allows for an increase in awareness of what affects your daily life and how it makes you feel.
When your not sure what you’re feeling, check in with your body. Is your jaw clenched? Tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth? Shoulders are relaxed or tense? Tension in your chest? Breathing fast and shallow or slow and deep? Just take a moment to observe where you are at and it will almost always open up to what emotion you are feeling. By moving into an observing role, we can sometime diminishes the intensity of a negative feeling when it arises.
Putting In The Work
It is great to have the tools and know what to do, now it is a matter of putting what you know into practice. Just like moving your body 30 minutes a day gives you the best results, practicing this reflection daily will do the same. This also means building your way up to checking in with yourself multiple times a day takes time – and that’s ok. Start with when you first get up. Slowly add just before bed. And even work up to a mid-day check in. Do what works for you and your schedule and mental health.
The Benefits of Checking-In
Once you get into the habit of checking in with yourself you will start to see patterns. After going for a walk do you typically feel better? After missing hours of sleep do you feel worse? Do you feel more tense before meeting this certain friend? Do you feel uplifted after volunteering? This will start to show you areas of your life that you need more of, and even less of; what drains you vs. what fills you up.
You got this.