Embrace Your Emotions: The Power of Feeling to Heal and Find Freedom

It had been a day: back-to-back meetings, difficult coworkers, grocery run before getting home (because there was nothing to make for dinner), a last-minute errand that had to be done 'today', and being the best support she could. She was friendly. She was helpful. She was exhausted. But beneath the smile and the get-it-done energy, there was this creeping guilt—because what she really wanted was to hide away somewhere, shut the door, and not take care of anyone for the rest of the night.

So she waited. She stayed up late when everyone was in bed and the house was quiet because there is no alone time when her family needs her to be there for them too.

She started her favorite movie--because she just wanted to relax!

- but instead she only half listened while scrolling her phone, eating some cookies, sifting through some emails, and looking at her calendar to "get ready" for tomorrow and then looked up a new productivity app she wouldn’t actually use.

She'd do anything but sit with that knot in her stomach.

Anything but feel the discomfort.

Anything but think about how she didn't get enough done.

Or worse, "I am just not enough."

We’ve been taught to keep it together. To push through. To “stay positive” and not let our feelings get the best of us. I remember a time when I was told that I needed to push my feelings down so that I could be a better leader at work. What??

If you have ever said, "I don't have time to cry about this right now." That is not being strong--that is avoiding.

Here’s the truth about avoiding your emotions-- they don’t disappear! They just get louder and louder until they get your attention ANY WAY POSSIBLE.

They might show up as tension in your shoulders, snap responses to your partner, stress eating, procrastination, or just that general sense of being “off” without knowing why.

Humans were never meant to only feel the good stuff. We’re wired to feel the whole spectrum—joy, sadness, anger, peace, fear, gratitude, grief. It’s all part of the package. But somewhere along the way, we got the idea that uncomfortable emotions are problems to fix or ignore.

Funny how we never try to stuff down feeling content or relaxed.

"Ugh, I’m feeling way too calm right now—better distract myself with some doom scrolling" ...said no one ever!

The so-called “negative” emotions—grief, frustration, fear—aren’t bad. They’re messengers. They show us where we’re hurting, where something matters, or where a boundary was crossed. When we allow ourselves to feel them, we’re actually tuning into our inner GPS.

Sitting with your emotions doesn’t mean spiraling. It doesn’t mean wallowing. It means noticing what’s coming up without rushing to fix, ignore, or judge it.

When I work with clients, we often start by slowing down just enough to ask:

• What am I actually feeling right now?

• Where do I feel this in my body?

• What might this feeling be trying to tell me?

This process is powerful because awareness is the gateway to relief. You can't manage what you don't acknowledge.

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Let’s Bust a Few Myths About Emotions

Myth #1: Feeling my feelings will make things worse.

Truth: Avoiding emotions actually keeps you stuck in them longer(you keep getting reminders that you haven't allowed it yet)When you allow yourself to feel, you’re not getting lost—you’re moving through. It’s like opening a window in a stuffy room.

Myth #2: If I start crying, I might never stop.

Truth: You will. Emotions are waves—they rise, crest, and fall. Suppressing the wave only creates more turbulence later. Letting it out is a strength!

Myth #3: I don’t have time for this.

Truth: You’re already spending time managing the fallout—snapping at people, zoning out, tossing and turning at night. A few minutes of honest emotion now saves hours of burnout later.

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Closing Thoughts: Let It Flow

Here’s the thing: feeling your feelings isn’t a detour—it’s the path. When you make space for your emotions instead of stuffing them down, you create room for clarity, resilience, and self-trust.

But let’s be real—feeling the hard stuff isn’t easy. It takes guts to sit with sadness, anger, fear, or grief when every instinct tells you to scroll, snack, or soldier on. The people who can face their emotions instead of running from them? That’s strength. That’s emotional fitness. That’s real courage. And that? That’s loving yourself.

Try exploring with one or more of these journal prompts:

• Think of a time you felt something uncomfortable—stress, sadness, anger—and tried to push it away.

• What did that feel like in your body?

• What did you need in that moment but didn’t give yourself?

• If you could go back and sit with that feeling gently, what would you say to it?

Let it be messy. Let it be honest. Let it be enough.

And if you’re tired of doing all the emotional heavy lifting on your own—this is exactly the kind of thing I help my clients with.

You don’t have to power through.

You can pause, process, and still rise stronger.

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