Emotion of the day

[Heather Shay]

Emotional acceptance is the ability and willingness to accept and feel all your emotions, no matter how uncomfortable they are. It helps us become more accepting and aware of our feelings. Feelings form the basis of human nature. They impact and influence our life decisions knowingly or unknowingly.

[Heather Shay]

What is emotional balance? Emotions are how we genuinely feel about things. We all experience both pleasant and unpleasant feelings in our lives. Emotional balance is about getting the balance of pleasant and unpleasant feelings right, at least most of the time, so that we can have positive mental wellbeing.

[Heather Shay]

Emotional identification is the process of accurately identifying and labeling the emotion you're experiencing in a given moment. It's an important part of emotional intelligence and can help improve emotional awareness and regulation.

[Heather Shay]

Emotional resilience is the ability to adapt to and recover from challenges, setbacks, and adversity. It involves being able to maintain a positive mindset, manage emotions, and embrace personal growth. Emotionally resilient people are able to "roll with the punches" and adapt to stressful situations without lasting difficulties.

[Heather Shay]

What Is Emotional Healing?

Emotional healing is the process of acknowledging, allowing, accepting, integrating, and processing painful life experiences and strong emotions. It may involve empathy, self-regulation, self-compassion, self-acceptance, mindfulness, and integration.

 

[Heather Shay]

Below are 10 word groups that describe positive emotions. For each group, think of an activity or situation that helps you feel one of those emotions.

Next, pick one or two positive emotions that you want to practice this week. Commit to doing something that will increase that positive emotion every day for a week. Here are some examples to get you started.

1. JOYFUL (happy, glad, lighthearted, pleased)

"When I see my friends and we laugh and have fun together, I feel happy. I'll take time to laugh with my friends every day at lunchtime."
"When I get home from school my dog is so glad to see me and I feel glad to see him, too. I will make time to play with my dog every day."

2. GRATEFUL (thankful, appreciative)

"When I take time to notice all my mom does to take care of us, I really appreciate her. To feel more gratitude this week, I can list the things I love about mom and why I'm lucky she's my mom. "
"Saying grace before dinner reminds me of the blessings we have, especially for a good place to live and my family. I know some people aren't as lucky as I am."

3. PEACEFUL (relaxed, serene, at ease)

"When I listen to classical music, I feel peaceful. I will listen to it for 15 minutes every night before bed."
"Stroking my cat and hearing her purr gives me such a feeling of being relaxed. I'm going to try that before bed each night this week and focus on how peaceful she is."

4. INTERESTED (engaged, attentive)

"I feel totally interested when I am in my favorite class, science."
"I get completely absorbed in my music. When I play, I'm not thinking about anything else. I'll plan to practice each day after school, before I do my homework."

5. HOPEFUL (wishful, expecting good things)

"Before a game, I feel hopeful that we'll win. This week, I'll concentrate on that feeling of hope and expecting good things before I play."
"I love the idea of making a wish. This week when I'm at that pond in the mall, I'll throw in a penny and make a wish."

6. PROUD (beaming, satisfied, confident, accomplished)

"I feel this way when I put my best effort into something. This week, I'll really focus on my homework and how I feel when I give it my best — even when it's not my top subject."
"When I cook something, I feel accomplished. This week, I'll bake something for the whole family. I love how it feels when they compliment me!"

7. AMUSED (humorous, fun-loving, playful, silly)

"I am reading this book that makes me laugh out loud. Reading some of it every day is a way to get my daily dose of laughter and humor."
"My dad and I tell each other corny jokes as a way to laugh together. We can start a 'joke a day' habit. We'll get my kid stepbrother in on the act, too. He's so goofy that sometimes just the way he tells a joke cracks us up."

8. INSPIRED (creative, uplifted)

"I feel really inspired in art class. I can stop by the art studio at free period and work on something creative or I can make time to draw and doodle at home."

9. AMAZED (awed, part of something larger than ourselves)

"Looking at the sky is my favorite thing. The clouds, stars, planets, moon ... I feel I am a part of this whole incredible universe."

10. LOVING (loved, compassionate, caring, kind)

"Doing a kind thing for someone anonymously is a way I like to be caring. Every day this week, I'm going to find one person who looks like they could really use a boost and do something to help them."
"I've started doing a loving kindness meditation. I'm going to practice it every morning when I wake up."

[Heather Shay]

7 Amazing Facts About Emotions

 

1. Emotions are electrochemical signals that flow through us in an unending cycle. They are released in our brains in response to our perceptions about the world. We feel them all the time, which makes me wonder why I learned how to divide one fraction by another and all about Henry VIII beheading his wives, but basically nothing about something so critical to my everyday health and wellbeing. But anyway, emotions are released in our brains and flow all throughout our body, all the time. They also are produced in our bodies and go to our brains – check out this article, The Physics of Emotion: Dr. Candace Pert on Feeling Go(o)d – which talks more about this idea of emotions as feedback loop carrying info to help us function.

 

 

 

Emotions flow through our body all the time, regulating everything, including our thoughts. So shouldn’t we be learning about feelings — at least on par with academic topics like the French Indian War and how to calculate the angles of a triangle?

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2. There are 8 basic emotions – and countless variations and nuances of those. The 8 basic emotions are Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Surprise, Anticipation, Anger and Trust. There are different models of which are the basic ones, but this comes from a scientist named Robert Plutchik, who also created a Wheel of Emotions to illustrate these 8 emotions in a compelling way. It shows visually the dynamism of emotions, like what happens to an emotion when it’s left unchecked and what you get when you combine two emotions, like Anticipation and Joy. It’s pretty interesting stuff, especially when you know how to interpret the wheel. For a full break down, check out Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions. If you want to enhance your emotional literacy, which is an essential component of practicing EQ, this is a great place to start.

 

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3. Emotions are neutral. That is to say, some emotions are not inherently good and others bad. It may seem this way, since, for example, joy seems to be a clear winner over sadness. I mean, who wants to be sad? But there are two problems with this way of thinking. The first problem is that joy and sadness have more in common than we think. Joy means I get something I care about. Sadness means I lose something I care about. So they are really two sides of the same need, and we couldn’t have one without the other. And the second problem is that every emotion is simply a signal, delivering a message. Even difficult emotions like fear, anger or sadness are serving an important function.

So, what are the functions of emotions?

 

 

4. Emotions function to guide us to survive and thrive. Emotions focus our attention and motivate us toward a specific course of action. Each emotion has a purpose. Take anger, for example. Anger is a signal that our path is blocked. It focuses our attention on the threat and motivates a response of fighting or pushing through the obstacle. It can be used destructively, of course, but it also gives us the energy to find solutions to pressing problems. And what about another emotion, like Joy? Joy focuses our attention on an opportunity, and motivates us to do more of whatever we are doing. We feel joy when we experience meaning and connection, and the purpose of the emotion is to tell us that those are good things, which we should seek out. Six Seconds developed a tool called the Emotoscope Feeling Chart, which helps decode the purpose and meaning of different feelings. It has dozens of feelings – all variations of Sadness, Joy, Fear, and Anger – and then the message that each emotion is sending. For example, the other day, I was feeling overwhelmed by life. I was too busy and my head was swimming. I looked at the chart and under sad, I found overwhelmed. What was the purpose of that feeling? To let you know you need to prioritize. You can down the Emotoscope Feeling Chart for free and keep a copy at your home or office.

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Download the Emotoscope Feeling Chart

 

Learn to work WITH your emotions

What if emotions could be a source of insight and energy, supporting you toward your best self?

Learn how →

 

 

 

5. Emotions are contagious. Feelings spread between people like a virus, even if we’re not paying attention to emotions. Whether we’re in a group or with one other person, we can “catch” both positive and negative emotions. The evolutionary basis of this is simple: humans have only survived and thrived in groups. We are social creatures. And because of that, we have a tendency to pick up on each other’s emotional states. Think about it this way. If you see fear on someone’s face, you are more likely to survive if you react quickly – if your own fear response is activated instantaneously. It could be the difference between getting eaten by that tiger your friend just saw – or getting away.

And it’s not just fear. We are constantly sending and picking up emotional messages through a number of mechanisms, including voice inflection, facial expressions, posture and specific behavioral patterns. It’s an incredibly important form of communication that we all partake in, even if we don’t realize it. It’s so deeply wired that we unknowingly imitate the slowness of old people, which is one of my all time favorite facts about emotions. 

A study by Facebook and Cornell University found that emotional contagion even happens on social media. We are deeply wired.

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6. Emotions are different than feelings – and moods. But they are all interrelated, of course. What is the difference?  Basically, time. And to what extent our cognitive thoughts are involved. For an in-depth look at the difference, check out this article, What’s the Difference Between Emotions, Feelings, and Moods?

 

 

 

Did you know we “catch” emotions from others – even when we’re not consciously paying attention? It’s the neural basis of empathy & it tells us a lot about our relationships.

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7. Emotions are absorbed in the body in about six seconds. Each burst of emotion chemicals, from the time its produced in the hypothalamus to the time it’s completely broken down and absorbed, lasts about six seconds. That’s how our organization got its name. If we’re feeling something for longer than six seconds, we are – at some level – choosing to recreate and refuel those feelings. Sometimes that’s good – if the tiger is still chasing you, those fear chemicals are helping save your life. Sometimes it’s not. But recognizing what emotion we are feeling, evaluating its purpose relative to our circumstances, and deciding whether to recreate it is what emotional intelligence is all about. If you want to learn more about emotional intelligence and how to practice it, check out Get Started with Emotional Intelligence.

[Heather Shay]

Type of emotion…what type of emotion is love

 

Love, for example, consists of secondary emotions, such as affection and longing. These secondary emotions might then be broken down still further into what are known as tertiary emotions. The secondary emoti

[Heather Shay]

[Heather Shay]

Situations Associated with Contemplation

Here are some situations where a character might experience the emotion of contemplation:

• A major life change, such as a job loss or the end of a relationship
• Being faced with a difficult decision or moral dilemma
• A moment of introspection or self-reflection
• A significant accomplishment or failure that prompts reflection on one's goals and motivations
• A change in perspective or worldview, such as through exposure to a new culture or belief system
• The loss of a loved one or a traumatic event
• Being confronted with a mystery or puzzle that requires deep thought and consideration
• A desire for personal growth or understanding of oneself and the world around them.

These are just a few examples, 

[Heather Shay]

Emotional help can be verbal or nonverbal, and it can include showing care and compassion for someone. It can help people cope with their emotions and experiences, and let them know they aren't alone. Some examples of emotional support include:

• Listening: Giving someone space to talk and listening to how they feel can be helpful
• Offering reassurance: Seeking help can feel scary and lonely, so offering reassurance can be helpful
• Helping someone call a therapist: You can help someone get the professional help they need
• Giving a hug: A hug can be a way to show emotional support to a friend who is crying

[Heather Shay]

What is Emotional Self-Care Exactly?

Emotional self-care refers to the act of becoming aware of and identifying what you are feeling and allowing yourself to channel those feelings in a way that benefits your overall wellness.

Why it is Important to Your Health and Wellness

Your emotions directly correlate to how you feel every day.

When you have a healthy attitude about your emotions and know how to express yourself, you will be better equipped to handle the trials and tribulations of life. When you are not in touch with your own emotions, you are more likely to experience depression, stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

Since everyone experiences different emotions, there are benefits to gaining a better understanding of your own feelings. By practicing emotional self-care, you will give yourself a head start on leading a happier, healthier life.

[Heather Shay]

Self-Improvement

10 Common Positive Emotions Beyond Happiness

By Derrick Carpenter 

Updated on October 25, 2022

 Reviewed 

Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by mental health professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more.

Happiness is the subject of much psychological research. While these studies can give insight into the emotional state of individuals and groups, there are several other positive or happy emotions that contribute to one's life in a meaningful way.

 

While similar, each of these other happy moods or emotions is also very unique. Here are 10 emotions of happiness that can help you feel more satisfied with your life, along with a few tips for how to harness them.

 

In her book Positivity, psychologist Barbara Fredrickson suggests that we experience a range of positive emotions, and that each of these emotions helps us build resources or broaden our perspective in useful ways.1

[Heather Shay]

 

Fear of emotions, also known as animotophobia, is a common psychological issue that can significantly impact a person's well-being. It can involve being afraid, distrustful, or wary of one's emotional experiences. People may fear losing control of themselves if they don't control their emotions, or they may be concerned that emotions will be too painful to bear. Attachment trauma can also trigger fear of emotions as a maladaptive activation of the fear-defense system. 

 

Signs You May Be Afraid of Your Emotions

Suppressing your emotions because you’re afraid of them can be bad for your physical and mental health. Here’s what to do instead.

When a toddler feels a “big” emotion, like anger or sadness, they tend to have a big tantrum on the floor. And these tantrums can be a lot to observe, full of thrashing, screaming, and tears. But a child reacts like this because the emotion they’re feeling is uncomfortable, maybe even painful.

 

Of course, as adults, we feel emotions too, and those feelings can be just as overwhelming, uncomfortable, or even painful as they were when we were children, even if we don’t let ourselves react in such a big way.

But, sometimes, in our attempts to not give in to our emotions, we go too far: we run from them or suppress them — even if that harms us in the long run. Although there are many reasons we might suppress our emotions, one of them is that we are afraid of our emotions.

Fear of emotions is called “animotophobia. It is not an official term in the DSM-5-TR. Still, fearing your emotions can have a significant impact on your well-being.

 

How does being afraid of your emotions impact your health?

“Individuals who fear emotions miss one of the best things of life: living,” says Noelia Leite, licensed psychotherapist, doctor of integrative mental health, and certified hypnotherapist. “People who are afraid of emotions survive; they do not live. Their fear stops them from living the best of their lives.”

This can impact their relationships, their mental health, and even their physical health because it can lead to bursts of rage, isolation, and trouble connecting with others. It can also lead to long-term depression and anxiety.

“It causes so much unnecessary suffering,” says Kirsten Cantley, holistic psychotherapist. “I would compare it to high cholesterol and heart disease.”

We when fear our emotions, we often suppress them. This can lead to long-term health complications or strains in our relationships.

“Suppressed emotions stay in the body and begin to create disease, from pains to immune disorders to IBS to name a few,” she continues. “It also takes a toll on your mental health [because] emotions always come out, whether an unacceptable outburst or acting in a passive-aggressive way.”

 

If you’re living with depression, join others who understand what you’re going through. Discover a safe space to find community, guidance, and support together.

If you’re afraid of your emotions, you might:

• develop a pessimistic outlook
• avoid people or activities
• struggle to sleep
• be irritable to be around
• possibly experience big outbursts of anger or tears

People who fear their emotions may also often try to suppress them through avoidance behavior. “People sometimes go to great lengths to not feel,” says Cantley, “which can lead to self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, or [other addictive behavior.]”

 

What causes fear of emotions?

Often, explains Leite, “fear of emotions may be rooted in past traumas or a pattern of recurrent events such as physical, emotional, or spiritual abuse, traumatic events such as car accidents, loss of loved ones, or war experience.”

Sometimes, this past trauma is unresolved, making someone afraid to re-experience how they have felt before. Someone might not feel a sense of inner safety or get overwhelmed by their emotions — which causes them to try to suppress them rather than feel them. They may also entirely avoid situations that could bring up those difficult emotions.

Other times, “it can stem from childhood and how the role models handled their emotions,” explains Cantley.

For example, psychotherapist Ronnie Adamowicz explains that it could come from parents who would shame or punish their child for expressing emotions. This may not lead to a person fearing their emotions immediately, but it could begin to shape a person’s beliefs on feelings and emotional expression.

“If a child is scared, sad, or angry, and runs to their parents, only to be punished, the child will not feel safe to express their emotions.”

 

 

Speak with a therapist

Ultimately, the best way to stop being afraid of your emotions is to slowly and gradually face them.

This is why going to therapy can be very helpful. Cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt), using the technique of exposure therapy, may be particularly helpful for overcoming a fear of emotions.

“[Therapy] offers a safe space for clients to feel safe to express their emotions,” Adamowicz says. “This creates what we call a ‘corrective emotional experience.’” When we have a positive experience expressing our emotions in therapy, we may change our beliefs on the utility of emotions.

Focus on your physical sensations

Because it can be difficult to talk about how an emotion feels, your therapist might also focus on having you describe your physical feelings, rather than your emotional ones.

“[We] have them describe if they notice any subtle feelings in their body as they become fearful of an emotion,” Adamowicz says. “The more they can talk about how it physically feels, the more they can actually be with the emotion.”

Practice mindfulness

Your therapist will also work with you to help normalize your feelings and accept them as valid, rather than suppress them, by teaching you to be gentle and non-judgmental with yourself.

Practicing mindfulness through breathing techniques, meditation, guided imagery, and yoga can help you begin feeling more comfortable sitting with your thoughts and experiencing them without judgment.

Befriend your fear

Finally, you can also “befriend your fear,” says Adamowicz.

“Imagine you had a 5-year-old nephew who was scared,” he says. “What would you do? You wouldn’t walk right past and ignore them. But that’s exactly what we do with our own emotions.”

“[You] need to slow down,” he continues, “Slow down. and stop, and pause, and say hello to the nephew who’s scared…or stop and pause to the part that is feeling fear. Be with the fear. Have a relationship with the fear… Listen to it. let it talk. There is so much wisdom in the emotion itself.”

This means that once we can recognize that our emotions are sources of information, not irrational feelings we need to run away from, we can develop a relationship with our emotions. This can allow us to understand ourselves better and lead a more intentional life.

 

Recap

Many people fear their emotions because emotions can feel unpleasant or scary. However, in reality, our emotions are vital for understanding who we are, what we want, and where we are going. The more we understand and embrace our emotions, the less they control us.

With therapy, it’s possible to become more comfortable with our emotions, rather than suppress them, and that can help reduce the chances of long-term impacts on our mental and physical wellbeing.

[Heather Shay]

Music and Mood

Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music.

[Heather Shay]

Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and satisfaction of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitude are closely related to joy but are not identical to it.

[Heather Shay]

How To Release Emotions Stuck In Your Body

https://www.pacesconnection.com/displayAvatar/user/470108789146191676/fod/470108789146191680/imageType/SQUARE_THUMBNAIL/joannaciolek.jpg Joanna Ciolek 11/16/189:25 AM

 

 

“The human mind is a relational and embodied process that regulates the flow of energy and information.” ~Daniel J. Siegel

We are emotional creatures, and we were born to express emotions freely and openly. Somewhere along the way, however, many of us learned to repress emotions, especially those deemed “negative,” in order to fit in, earn love, and be accepted. This was my experience.

I grew up in a home where the motto was “Children are to be seen, not heard.” There was little emotional expression allowed, let alone accepted. No one was there to validate or help us process emotions in a healthy way. Anger was met with anger, fear went unacknowledged, and there was plenty of shame to go around.

My parents didn’t model how to deal with difficult emotions, as they struggled with that themselves. When those emotions showed up, I often felt overwhelmed and inadequate, ashamed of my failure to be a “good girl.”

I learned to bury my pain deep inside, feeling invisible, ashamed, angry, alone, and unable to ask for what I needed. Trying to hide the pain—from others and myself—I built walls, put on masks, and soldiered on. For better or worse.

My pain was buried so deep, I didn’t realize it was there until I had my own children. Motherhood opened up old wounds, the house of cards fell apart, and I began to unravel.

In my thirties, faced with growing angst and creeping depression—and motivated to be the best parent I could be to my children—I began to deal with repressed memories and old emotional residue that has left me suffering from C-PTSD, chronic back pain, sciatica, headaches, and anxiety.

As a child, I hid from the emotional pain by delving into the world of books, music, and academics. As an adult, I realized I was strong enough to face it. I wasn’t a little child anymore; I didn’t have to hide. Now I was more mature and had resources I needed to finally face the pain that used to overwhelm my young brain—and begin to heal it.

The truth is, we all hide our emotions occasionally. We pretend, avoid, and deny uncomfortable emotions in an effort of self-preservation, as a defense mechanism.

We do this most often with difficult emotions like shame, fear, or anger. When we experience events that emotionally overwhelm us and we’re unable to process what is happening, accept our emotions, and express them through our body and mind, we hide them deep inside us where others can’t see them. And we end up hiding them from ourselves too. Yet, they’re still there.

The unresolved emotions get trapped in our body where they build and fester, draining our energy, leading to burnout, emotional imbalance, and eventually disease. When we chronically repress emotions, we create toxicity in our body, mind, and heart.

This unprocessed emotional energy is stored in our organs, muscles, and tissues. It leads to inflammation and chronic health problems, and it undermines our overall well-being.

3 STEPS TO PROCESSING EMOTIONAL ENERGY STUCK IN YOUR BODY

The opposite of repression is expression. In order to process our emotional distress and move it though and out of our body so it doesn’t get stuck there, we need to learn to express our emotions in a healthy way, in the body and mind. But first, we need to learn to recognize and accept our feelings as they come and go.

Step 1: Recognize (self-awareness)

The challenge is to recognize the emotion and feel it in your body. This is where mindfulness comes in. The goal is to notice what is happening within our body, accept it, and feel it fully, without judgment.

If you’ve ever come across Tara Brach’s teachings on radical acceptance, the practice of R.A.I.N. should sound familiar. R.A.I.N. stands for recognize, allow, investigate, and nourish (with self-compassion), and it “directly de-conditions the habitual ways in which you resist your moment-to-moment experience,” according to Brach.

Buddhist teachings tell us that human suffering is caused by aversion and resistance to what is happening. Acceptance is liberating, and the practice of R.A.I.N. teaches us to accept our moment-to-moment experience instead of running from it. It teaches us to face any difficulty head on, with self-compassion and the understanding that it will eventually pass.

We have to feel it to heal it—we have to fully experience the emotion in order to process and integrate it into our experience.

But we must feel it in the body; this is the critical point. As Brach writes, “If the process of including difficult emotions in awareness stops at the level of cognitive understanding without a fully embodied experience, the genuine acceptance, insight, and inner freedom that are the essence of true healing will not be complete.”

Practice mindfulness to get better at recognizing your feelings and observing the bodily sensations connected to those feelings, as they come and go throughout the day. Offer yourself self-compassion as you go through more difficult emotions.

PRACTICE:

Sit still for few minutes with your eyes closed. Listen to your body and become curious.

What does your body feel like right now? Is there any pressure or tingling? Where? Do you feel heavy, hot, contracted, warm, or cold? What is the texture, weight, and shape of sensations you notice in your body? What emotions are those sensations connected to? Can you breathe into the parts that call your attention? What do those parts of your body want to tell you? What do they want?

Step 2: Respond (self-expression)

Emotions need to be expressed to be processed. The goal is to move the energy of emotion through and out the body so we can let it go.

This self-expression must be authentic and embodied. Remember, true healing occurs when body and mind integrate, so express the emotion on the bodily level first and foremost.

Still sitting, ask yourself: What does this emotion you just connected with need from you? What feels right in this moment? What do you need?

Maybe you feel the need to cry, scream into a pillow, go for a swim, walk or run, dance it out, hit a punching bag, do some gardening, tapping, yoga or TRE, paint your feelings out, or simply breathe deeply while facing the sun—whatever feels cathartic in that moment, do it.

You will free the poisonous emotion that you carried within yourself, and free yourself from its shackles.

Follow this step with one of the best forms of emotional healing—journaling. Writing can be a very therapeutic experience of self-discovery, reconnecting with our true self, and processing our deepest feelings and emotions.

When we write we give our internal world a voice. We process and make sense of what is happening within us and around us. And we gain perspective; by writing about our fears and hurts we can look at them from a distance, detach from their grip, and eventually let them go. That release can be truly healing.

Practice journaling every day to get better at expressing and processing your feelings. Don’t censor or judge yourself; let it all out, completely unfiltered. Over time, your journal will become a safe space for you to free yourself, get unstuck, and move forward.

We often don’t have the time and space to process emotions in the moment, so make sure you allow yourself the space to feel the emotions you’ve had through the day and journal about it at the end of each day.

WRITING PROMPT:

What is happening in your life right now that you wish you could change? What is the biggest source of frustration? As you write, notice the sensations in your body. Tune into the parts that are numb, in pain, or frozen. What are they trying to tell you? What needs healing, attention, or change?

Step 3: Reset (self-care)

If we’ve habitually neglected our bodies and ignored our emotions, we have to re-dedicate ourselves to body-mind self-care, and indulge in healing habits that will bring in the feeling of well-being.

The goal is to realign back with your authentic self, reset back to a relaxed and open state, and come back into wellness and balance.

PRACTICE:

Take time to slow down and be alone, get out into nature, make art, listen to music while you cook your favorite dinner, meditate to cleanse your mind and relax your body, take a bubble bath or a nap to restore. Take good care of yourself to awaken to life’s joy and simple pleasures that will nourish your body, mind, and soul.

MY OWN HEALING JOURNEY

When I decided to take charge over my own healing, I had no idea where to start. A lifelong book worm, I quickly discovered writing to be therapeutic. It became my refuge, a place where I could connect with my inner world in an authentic way. Writing became my most trusted way of processing emotions I didn’t even know I harbored inside since childhood. I discovered shame, anger, fear, grief, and eventually, self-compassion.

With mindfulness, I learned to allow my pain to surface, if only for a brief time, then surround it with tender love and care. My pain was a part of me and I was done running from it; it was time I faced it.

I learned to sense into my body, little by little, as the anxiety of reconnecting with my physical sensations was very powerful. But I realized the only way out was through—through the body—so in order to move the stuck emotions that had a tight grip over me for decades I had to allow and accept them, I had to feel the anger, the shame, the grief.

Slowly, I learned to give my inner child the support she never received. I listened to and validated her pain—and helped her let go of it. I learned to love and accept her. And I finally learned to love and accept myself.

Healing is a taxing process. Remember to give yourself all the care and compassion you would give to a friend doing this hard work. Offer yourself understanding, love, and care. This is hard work, and you are doing the best you can with what you’ve got.

Trapped emotions get in our way. They sabotage our efforts to create the life we want and make us miserable along the way. Freeing this emotional energy stuck in our bodies can shift our lives in a positive way. It’s healing and liberating. And you are worth it!

[Heather Shay]

Here are some ways to cope with lonely emotions:

• Reach out: Call a friend, nurture friendships, or engage with communities in person or online
• Distract yourself: Play music, get creative, or pick up a hobby
• Take care of yourself: Practice gratitude, get outside, or travel virtually
• Talk about it: Talk to yourself like a caring friend or understand what you're feeling
• Help others: You can also try talking to strangers

[Heather Shay]

When you feel emotionally drained, remember...

Emotional exhaustion is a feeling of mental and emotional fatigue that can result from prolonged stress or emotional strain. It can make you feel disconnected from activities that once brought you joy and satisfaction. Symptoms include:

• Feeling negative, hopeless, or helpless
• Feeling unable to resolve issues
• Mental exhaustion and low energy
• Reduced work performance
• Impaired functioning in other areas of life
• Low motivation and concentration
• Increased emotional reactivity
• Irritability, frustration, anger, anxiety, and stress
• Apathy

[Heather Shay]

Emotional healing is the process of accepting and processing painful life experiences and strong emotions. It can involve acknowledging, allowing, integrating, and self-compassion. Here are some ways to support emotional healing:

• Mindfulness

  This can help you become more aware of your emotions and thought patterns, and develop self-compassion and self-acceptance. Mindfulness techniques include meditation, deep breathing, and body scans.
• Journaling

  Writing about your emotions and experiences can help you identify patterns and triggers, and develop a greater sense of self-awareness and self-reflection.
• Self-compassion

  Treat yourself as you would treat someone else in similar pain. This can help you feel less stressed and anxious by eliminating self-destructive thoughts.
• Express your emotions

  You can talk about your emotions with someone you trust, express them through artwork or writing, or engage in a movement practice. 

[Heather Shay]

Self-soothing is an emotional regulation strategy used to regain equilibrium after an upsetting event.

Most of us are familiar with soothing others when they are upset or afraid, especially if we have children. However, when we are triggered as adults, it’s difficult to regulate potentially disruptive emotions like anger, fear, and sadness, especially in a public space such as the workplace.

Inadequate self-soothing strategies can also disrupt intimate relationships when misunderstandings or conflicts arise.

In this article, we will discuss self-soothing behaviors and techniques that help regulate disruptive emotions and benefit mental health.

[Heather Shay]

Emotional distress refers to mental suffering as an emotional response to an experience that arises from the effect or memory of a particular event, occurrence, pattern of events or condition.

[Heather Shay]

Emotional renewal can refer to a variety of things, including:

• Catharsis

  A therapeutic technique that involves expressing strong emotions and gaining new insights to bring about positive change in a person's life. The term comes from the Ancient Greek word katharsis, which means "purification" or "cleansing".
• Emotional restructuring

  A concept in Emotion Focused Therapy that involves helping clients change their emotional responses and develop healthier emotional experiences.
• Emotional healing

  A process that involves acknowledging, accepting, and processing painful life experiences and strong emotions. This can include empathy, self-regulation, self-compassion, self-acceptance, mindfulness, and integration. 

[Heather Shay]

Emotional blockage forms when your “resistance to what is” becomes a regular way of coping with uncomfortable life circumstances. That means that, overtime, if you continue to deny, avoid or dismiss the reality of your life circumstances, you'll continue to accumulate blockage within your body and spirit.

[Heather Shay]

Here are some ways to cope with emotional pain:

• Exercise

  Physical activity can release endorphins, which can improve your mood and help you deal with negative emotions. You can try walking, yoga, dancing, or strength training.
• Talk to someone

  Social support can be important for emotional well-being. You can try talking to a friend, counselor, or therapist.
• Practice mindfulness

  Mindfulness and meditation can help you observe your emotions without getting caught up in them. You can also try grounding techniques, which focus on bringing your attention back to the present moment. For example, you can try sitting in a chair and pushing against a wall, or walking and paying attention to how your feet feel on the ground.
• Find a creative outlet

  You can try writing, painting, or playing music to express yourself and reflect. You can also try journaling to help you remember who you are and where you came from.
• Take care of yourself

  Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating well, and staying hydrated. You can also try aromatherapy or other lifestyle medicine activities.