Our feelings are never just experienced in our head. When we are embarrassed, we blush. When we are sad, we cry. When we are angry, we shout and go red in the face. When we are nervous we get butterflies in our stomach, or lumps in our throat or need the bathroom super quick! When we are frightened we can go as white as a ghost.
These are all natural instinctive bodily responses and are so healthy to release proving to us that our mind and the body are connected.
These days however it appears that to show our feelings is a sign of ‘weakness’. I notice in relationships of friends and family around me – even with my clients, that people feel strong emotions yet stay quiet through fear of rejection / confrontation / not feeling worthy or not really knowing how to express what they are feeling properly.
I fear this stems from childhood when we are told by our parents “Don’t Cry”. Some kids are brought up to see crying as shameful, embarrassing. Often parents threaten to give them “something to cry about” if they don’t stop….so kids swallow it and bury these emotions.
Parents cant handle the feelings so kids suppress them to keep their parents happy. But as they grow older, years of suppressed emotions can become a source of illness. I know I never told my parents about the bullying I experienced at School through fear or upsetting them / letting them down in some way or showing a vulnerability that I wasn’t meant to.
Don’t Cry, Don’t be Sad, No need to be scared. Be Strong now.
When we have any emotion hormones are released. To suppress these natural emotions and their bodily expressions takes a lot of energy and is actually a stress producing process. When we are stressed cortisol and adrenaline are released by the body to stop good digestion, suppress our immune system and mobilize energy to fight or flight.
I believe that these emotions such as anger, emotional pain, sorrow, resentment with all their heavy energy end up being stored deep within our cells as old memories causing destruction. It is a well-known fact that excess cortisol in the body is linked to almost every type of disease and denying the brain freedom to work properly will only upset our second brain – the GUT. Over time these people can become depressed and show signs of trauma, addiction, anxiety, weight gain, stomach upset and inflammation.
So really if we harbor feelings inside us the only person we end up hurting is ourselves later in life.
For many of my clients I find that mental therapy later in life to let go of all the years of suppressed anger, hurt, fear and pain – to cry for the first time in years and not feel bad for doing so is extremely powerful. Within weeks of treatment they are happier, healthier and lighter in mind and body than ever before with a sense of freedom.
I also want to note the power of TOUCH here to heal people from suppressed emotions…. more hugs, cuddles, massage etc. Personally I feel deep emotional release and my body really lets go with these therapies. Seeing my Chiropractor or having reflexology are other healers for me. In fact many of the “self care’ therapies I mentioned in my blog on “Self are v’s Self Love” are all great ways to balance mind and body.
This is a part of “Self Care’ that we must not underestimate.
Be Vulnerable
Be Real
Be Raw
Release what you feel there and then and move on happy and healthy.