Emotions are something we all have and experience and they affect our mental health enormously. Emotions can be suppressed and emerge way after an event, they can come out of nowhere and they can surprise us to no end. To understand your own emotions is one of the best ways to enhance your mental health.
Here are 3 ways to better understand and release your emotions;
1) Stop, check, name and allow.
Most people try to avoid their emotions at all cost especially the so-called “bad” ones. One of the best ways to understand your emotions better is to stop in any given moment during the day, take a deep breathe and check in to how you are feeling. Try to name those feelings if you can, it’s ok if you can’t but do allow yourself to feel the emotions you are feeling. This is done by what we call ‘giving space’ to the emotions so they have room to move, don’t project them onto someone else just give them space to be there. Do this for a few minutes and then move on throughout your day, the more you practice the more you will start to do it naturally and notice your reactions.
2) Question your thoughts and feelings together.
Learning the connection between your mind and body also enhances your relationship with yourself and your mental health. Some techniques that enhance your mind-body connection are ones that question your thoughts and how you feel when you think that thought. There are many variations on how one can do this but it is a mindful approach that over time will start to connect your thoughts and feelings so you understand why you have an emotion in the first place. Try it, take a thought you think and then ask yourself how you feel when you think that thought and then how you feel if you don’t think that thought. Notice. You will start to notice how you create a lot of your emotions yourself by what you think.
3) Emotional freedom technique.
To release emotions that are overwhelming you can always try the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is a technique that uses the tapping with your finger on specific acupressure points on the face and body that connect with what you are feeling and thinking. It is also used for pain in the body. It is quick and easy to learn the points, along with a specific statement to get you through the emotion quickly and overcome how you feel. EFT can be learned in many ways either online or with a practitioner so check out this video to get you started.
Your mental health is extremely important for you to live a better life. I use all of these tools in my coaching sessions and with myself. I find them helpful along with many other tools and techniques I have learned along my journey, so if you would like to have a better relationship with your own emotions and would like some support do so by contacting me on 0466 495 711 or eiran@eirantrethowan.com.au.