I talk a lot about processing emotions and the value that comes out of this process. I have promised to share my process, and today I am delivering on that promise. Today I am going to explain why processing emotions is so important, the how of my process; I am going to take you through the actual process so if you have something you ever want to work through, you can save this episode and come back to it, and then I’m going to share how you can benefit from this process. Let’s dig into how to process emotions!
Why processing emotions is important
As I have shared so many times, emotions are important signals with a whole lot of information packed into them. Our brain sends signals to our body, or our body will send signals to our brain; either way, we experience a response in our bodies. Oftentimes we attempt to fix those feelings we are feeling in our body with our brain by trying to figure things out, but how many times have you actually figured it out with your brain? More times than I can count, we instead push that emotion away and attempt to power through, ignoring the message it has for us.
When we can take some time to pause and listen to what it is, the emotion is telling us many things occur. We create awareness around why the emotion is there and what it is trying to tell us, and then we can let the emotion go. Instead of it being stored in our bodies as a stress response, only to pop up again when a similar signal comes through, we flush it out and can thank it for being there. We can thank it for the information it brought us, giving us insight into how we might want to move forward.
What processing emotions is and how I do it
My process for processing emotions is quite simple and can take as little as a minute but more often between 5-10 minutes, and you can do it anywhere. Personally, I prefer to go to a quiet room and take as long as I need, especially for potent emotions, emotions that are keeping me from being fully present with whatever it is I want to do. It is similar to meditation but with the specific purpose of listening to the emotion and letting it be heard, calming the nervous system down. If I don’t have the time or space for a longer meditation and I am feeling full of emotion, I will take a minute or two to get quiet, listen and honor the emotion, which will often bring me a bit of awareness so that I can continue knowing that I will create space to dig deeper at a later time. Sometimes a minute or two is all I need to let it go.
Now I will invite you to close your eyes as I do the same, and I am going to take you through my process. Listen to the episode where I lead you through. I have also written a post that talks about how to start feeling your emotions for those struggling to feel emotion: How To Start Feeling Your Emotions. In this post, I list several questions that will help you describe how your emotion feels in your body, which is part of the process I lead you through in this episode.
Learning from the process
First, you will want to practice. It’s possible nothing happened for you the first time; maybe you weren’t in a space where you were able to relax and take the practice to a level that appeared to be helpful. Do it again and again when you notice an emotion keeping you stuck; your body will speak to you with time and practice, which brings me to the second way to learn.
Listen. You have to get quiet and listen. You have to trust your body to tell you exactly what you need at the moment; it’s your body; as you start listening to it and opening up to it and honoring what it tells you, you’ll get better at the practice.
Trust and be open. Remember that the brain is part of the body and that it is meant to work together. There is a reason you feel pain when you stub your toe; there is also a reason why your stomach is turning upside down right before that presentation. The better you get at listening to and understanding these responses, the better you will utilize them to create what you want in your life and marriage.
When you feel stuck in an emotion, maybe when you have a conflict with your partner, and you can’t let it go, one of the best ways to move through it instead of spiraling into it is this practice. Let the body communicate with the mind to learn and move forward with your own inner wisdom and insight.
If you are curious about this process and would like to work together on an emotion that you can’t seem to let go of, I want to encourage you to book a free coaching session to take you through this powerful process.
I am a life coach who works with individuals to break down relationship barriers by awakening their true self. My process isn’t about changing your partner, it’s about discovering who you are so that you can AwakenYou in your marriage. If you’re ready to take your life and your love relationship to the next level then schedule your program inquiry call today and let’s decide together if this is your next step to creating the life you’ve been dreaming of.
