Being human can suck sometimes. Because you, as a human, have emotions. Congratulations. And sometimes those emotion waves can make you feel like you’re suffocating or drowning. During a recent conversation with my therapist, I asked her how to make the waves smaller. Her response, and the response I’ve found in many sources since, was - you can’t. We get hit whether we want to or not.
So what can we do to whether these storms? (See what I did there? Waves? Storms? Don’t worry - I’m rolling my eyes at myself...)
Here are a few things I’ve learned from my time in therapy and through articles from the professionals that has helped me:
1. As soon as I feel a strong emotion, I take a minute to recognize it and give it a name. One thing I’ve found is that when you give it a name, you take away some of its power. During especially strong emotional times, I will write down what I’m feeling and what triggered it. This has really been useful during grieving times.
2. When I see others feeling strong emotions and holding them back, I encourage them to ride their own emotional wave. I let them know that it’s acceptable and important for their own mental health. The reactions are mixed…
3. I set boundaries. If there’s a situation that I know could trigger me, I prepare by setting boundaries. Not sure what I mean by that? Read last week’s blog! By setting boundaries, you’re setting expectations with others. This empowers you to enforce consequences for behavior that isn’t healthy for you. For the most part, I have had a great reaction to boundary setting.
Emotional waves are hard to work through sometimes. But emotions are a big part of what makes us, well.. us! And humans are fascinating, complex, and beautiful.
Here are some articles that may help you with understanding emotions and how to work through them:
Comments