Catharsis: the process of releasing and thereby providing relief from strong or repressed emotions.
Do you ever recall a time when, as a youngster, someone told you to “Just get over it” or “Get ahold of yourself?”
Typically, the “just get over it” came from a parent, sibling, teacher or another individual that we perceived as more significant than ourselves. What we did with that statement usually involved some suppression of our emotions; we simply sucked it up and tried to move on. Except we weren’t able to move on. Instead, we suppressed it, and this was the beginning of an emotional wound.
Here’s the truth: every emotion you’ve sucked up, gotten over or denied has manifested itself inside your body. Often, these emotional wounds can be felt as physical pain, tension or an overwhelming feeling of general malaise. It can cause you to bury your feelings in inappropriate behaviours, deny your self-worth or your health or accept falsehoods such as guilt, fear, and anger as truth simply because you have emotions that haven’t been addressed.
Let’s find our way to emotional freedom by releasing these self-defeating feelings and begin the journey towards healing.
Get moving:
Releasing emotions starts with motion. So instead of arguing or choosing anger, get moving. Go for a walk, a run, or a bike ride. Dance. Swim. Do jumping jacks…anything to get moving. Negative emotions cannot reside in a body in motion.
Let it out:
Feel free to let it out if you’re in a safe space. It’s ok to cry, scream, yell or stamp your feet in frustration. (Obviously, doing any of this at work is probably not a good, safe space.) When you give voice to your emotions, it becomes far easier to release yourself from the pain they cause you.
Write it down:
Is there some emotion that you can’t quite identify? Start writing. Your writing may be non-sensical at first, but if you’re willing to continue exploring your self-limiting feelings this way, you will eventually begin to get to the heart of the matter. Limit your writing to 15-20 minutes per day.
If we neglect our emotional health, it’s tough to show up in our life, which is why it is crucial to put your emotional health at the top of your list. You don’t have to live your life in emotional pain.
I challenge you to release your emotions and experience catharsis.
