You Can Unlearn To Flee From Emotions
Emotions have a voice. They speak to us and tell us how we feel. Emotions also help us see what we need at any particular moment. What happens when we run from our emotions, when we deny them? Well, we’ll silence their voices but not their needs.
We live in haste, constantly walking from one thing to another. And then we hear and say things like ‘don’t worry’, ‘all you have to do is…’, ‘forget it’. But all emotions have an adaptive function. If we don’t listen to our emotions, we store them. But they will reappear with even more vigor when they need to express themselves again. And sometimes, unfortunately, this happens at the least favorable times.
For example, sadness tells us to stop and be alone for a while. That’s why we don’t feel like going out and being with other people. On the other hand, joy encourages us to go out and seek social contacts. Disgust alerts us to potential dangers to our bodies. And fear keeps us vigilant and protects us.
If we learn to listen to our feelings and no longer run from our emotions, we will be able to understand what they are telling us. So by paying attention to emotions, we can get to know a hidden part of ourselves. That part has been hidden but has needs that we don’t answer.
What Happens When We Treat Our Emotions With Medication?
In right measure, all emotions are good and functional. But it becomes a problem when they take an unbearable extreme or prevent you from living your life. This happens when we ignore, minimize or bypass them.
As we said, emotions have a voice. But what happens when we treat functional emotions with medication? Then let’s silence their voice. We manage to silence our emotions. But at the same time, we miss out on what they’re trying to tell us. If we learn to listen to emotions, they will do their job and then release other emotions.
Fleeing emotions is like taking medication or bottling up those feelings. The only purpose is to make sure that they go away quickly so that we can always be happy and content and enjoy life. But this is very dangerous. Because that’s how we ‘force’ ourselves to wear masks. We wear them because we feel pressured, often from ourselves, to show emotions that are very different from how we really feel.
Stop and listen. Close your eyes and open your ears to your heart. Give yourself what your emotions demand. You may need a few minutes alone when you are sad or overwhelmed. Perhaps you need space to take a clear look at your choices and to ensure that fear does not take over. But we’ll never get there if we silence our voices with anxiolytics or antidepressants.
To avoid an explosion, it’s a good idea to listen to your feelings. Because that way they don’t get stronger and louder. If you don’t, they can become a voice that we cannot control without help.
Learn to listen and not to run from your emotions
Living in harmony means opening up to our senses. Because we live in a society and adapt as the social beings that we are. But even more than social beings, we are complete beings. So we need a well-formed stable identity that fits into the external environment.
Emotions are part of us but they are not ‘us’. After all, they come and go. Some stay longer. Other feelings accompany us only for a short time. For better or for worse, emotions are not eternal. Their transient nature is part of what exactly makes them emotions. Otherwise we would be talking about an ’emotional state’ and not an emotion.
It’s a good idea to ask ourselves now and then how we feel. What emotion am I experiencing right now? For this little question will help us understand the things that happen to us. It will also help us connect with our own emotions.
If I don’t run from my emotions, I now have the ability to create a certain balance. I can feel good. This balance is based on the idea that no emotion is harmful (in itself). It just says something about what’s happening inside us.
