Strength in Emotions
Apr 22, 2022
So much progress has been made in Psychology about the way we express our emotions. Back in the day, society was taught to "buck up", "be strong", "don't let em' see you cry", and "boys don't cry".
With the new information about awareness, these theories and practices have shifted. We now know that holding things in creates a pressure cooker within us. Un-expressed emotions like "being strong" or "pushing it down" only makes negative emotions bigger inside us. Those negative emotions will hold power over us and effect how we make decisions, react to similar situations, or avoid taking an opportunity to move forward.
Eventually, something small may happen and the pressure cooker explodes. We may shout or yell at someone, or we may feel enormous guilt for things we could have or should have done differently.
When we work through our feelings and deal with them in the moment, we are able to process them in a healthy way. This may mean that we need to have a good cry or share with someone our feelings of hurt. By having the ability to express our emotions, we are showing our strength to be able to take care of ourselves and our well-being.
Releasing negative feelings opens up space to experience joy. Another bonus is... it teaches others that they too can feel safe to express emotions.
