I had a stressful experience yesterday which made me feel frustrated and a bit fearful. I tried to brush it off. But as the day went on, I felt grumpy. Then I noticed that my jaw was tense and my head hurt.
As I tuned into my body, my fear and frustration came up. I allowed myself to feel these emotions without trying to change them. These feelings cleared after I stopped trying to fight them and I felt much better for the rest of the day.
I compared this with my son who had a massive tantrum when I took away a Christmas ornament that he was banging on the table. He instantly expressed his disappointment and frustration and then bounced back.
Unfortunately, we often get messages as we grow up that it’s not safe or unacceptable to show how we feel. Maybe we got in trouble for showing our frustration or were mocked for crying.
So we push down what we’re feeling and hope it goes away. Maybe we eat our feelings or numb out with a glass of wine. And those feelings don’t get a chance to be resolved. We may take out how we are feeling on others or ourselves. Holding onto these feelings can also make us feel like crap physically.
Are you able to tune into your emotions today and acknowledge how you’re really feeling? Is there something that you’re holding onto that you need to feel? How do you feel after allowing this emotion?
Sometimes if we have had a traumatic or very distressing experience, we might feel it’s unsafe to allow these emotions on our own. If this resonates with you, I would encourage you to reach out to someone you trust will be supportive. This could be a friend or family member. Or it might be a support service or health professional.
If you have experienced a distressing or traumatic birth or reproductive experience and are struggling with your feelings, I may be able to help you with TBR 3 Step Rewind. More information is available here.