Healthy Ways To Express Your Feelings
Repeatedly avoiding discussions about our feelings negatively impacts our physical and mental health. Plus, it can affect our ability to develop healthy relationships.
You need some time alone to reflect on feelings. Being able to express how you feel might help you make better decisions about what is right for you now.
Benefits of expressing your feelings:
Talking about your feelings is validating
Talking about your feelings validates that what you are experiencing is real and means something to you. When you feel sad about something, it’s because you care about it. Trying to ignore that feeling would be invalidating to your experience and your values.
You’ll be better supported and understood
By sharing your feelings and what you need, you invite your trusted people who care about you to support you, the way you want to be supported.
Realize that you’re not alone in feeling unpleasant feelings
When you share what is going on for you, chances are high that your trusted people will respond and share that they too are feeling, or have felt, similarly to you.
Difficulty Expressing Emotions?
You don’t know exactly how you feel.
You can ask yourself if you’re experiencing emotions such as sadness, rejection, anger, disrespect, or shame. Clarifying your feelings helps you connect with yourself, the values you have, and those you wish to live by.
You have an inner dialogue that tells you it’s weak to express feelings.
Most of us have grown up with an idea that expressing our emotions makes us weak—when, in fact, it empowers us. Those who suggested it is weak may have been fearful of accessing their own feelings.
You may not be sure which feelings to trust.
Some of our emotions are influenced by our own thoughts. knee-jerk conclusions, or expectations regarding an event. So, yes, it may help to take a moment to pause before sharing all of your feelings.
Tips to express your feelings:
Express emotions in healthy ways
People deal with emotions by exercising, meditating, prayer, creating or listening to music, writing poetry, painting, traveling or journaling. Find out what helps you to process your emotions, and be as creative as you want!
Write Them Down
To write down your feelings, try to do so as precisely as possible. Remember the reason for the emotion, how you felt, and how you handle it afterward. Do not express negative emotions. In contrary, view the thoughts from a positive angle and work your way up.
Stop Overthinking
Overthinking kills, exaggerates, and blows things out of proportion. In fact, overthinking is the quickest way to get wrapped up in a mentally insecure place. Do not do it, and avoid it.
Seek support when it seems difficult
Don’t give up before you receive the healing benefits of getting more in tune with yourself! Seek help from trusted friends, counselors, support groups, and mental health experts if it seems too difficult to do alone.
