The Emotional Circle of Wellness: Balance Your Feelings!

"Your emotions make you human. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. Don't lock them away. If you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier."     Sabaa Tahir

Emotions are what make us human; however, they can be complex and hard to understand. From joy to despair, our feelings paint vivid pictures of our experiences - they guide our reactions to the world around us, shape our relationships, and influence our decision-making.

But here’s where emotions get tricky - they aren’t meant to be permanent; they’re temporary messengers that we should welcome, learn from, and then let go.

I remember the moment over three years ago when I got the phone call that my close friend and cousin had passed away. Strangely, I felt relief before anything else – relieved that her suffering was over, and so was that helpless feeling I brought home with me after every visit, wishing I could make things better.

I knew the waves of grief would hit me later, and they did.

I’d hear a song that reminded me of her. Or walk into a family gathering and catch myself wishing that she would show up with that rare sense of humor that only the two of us shared – our secret language. As the pain of her absence continues to surface, I’m learning to embrace it and ask what it has to teach me.

Yes, emotions are essential to who we are; however, when we ignore or bottle them up, they can become pitfalls. The ones that give us the most trouble are stress, fear, sadness, anger, and loneliness. We tend to avoid them because they’re either too painful, make us appear weak, or we don’t know how to express them.

So, instead of acknowledging them, we chase them away:

·     We tell ourselves, "I'm fine;" "It's not a big deal."

·     We numb them with food, alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, and shopping addictions.

·     We hide behind our work and label ourselves “high achievers.”

·     We use digital distractions and pretend we’re relaxing.

·     We isolate ourselves so that no one challenges us.

Here’s the bottom line about emotions:  Processing them enhances your health, but holding on to pain for too long can harden the arteries in your heart. Loneliness can lock you into cycles of addiction.  Suppressed anger and fear can cripple your limbs and gnaw away at vital organs. Bottled-up feelings can play tricks on your mind and ruin your relationships. They can interfere with your work life and block your flow of money.

So, what feelings are you suppressing that could be affecting your health?

Nothing says you can’t release them, but you first have to name them, and using The small change ABC-123 Strategy is a good place to start. Grab your pen and journal and:

1.     Acknowledge the feeling you’re avoiding or suppressing and why you want to change it.

2.     Believe in your innate ability to process the feeling.

3.     Commit to making at least one small change to process the feeling in ways that enhance your health and wellbeing.

If you need help, email me at smallchange@myrtlerussell.com.

Balance your feelings; Be Well!

For additional wellness tips, subscribe to my small change Weekly Wellness Tips at https://www.myrtlerussell.com/contact-us.