By Alex Bruce/Special to The News
There are a lot of things going on right now and a lot of difficult emotions that accompany them.
One of the most crucial things to remember when it comes to emotions, especially ones that are challenging, is that they are how we feel and not who we are.
The difference is illustrated between the two statements, “I’m scared” versus, “I feel scared.”
When we state things such as, “I’m angry” or “I’m sad,” it’s easy for us to believe in that press, which negatively impacts our mental health.
Instead, when we more accurately acknowledge, “I feel angry” or “I am feeling sad,” we gain some distance and perspective between ourselves and the emotion, which promotes mental wellness.
We’ve been taught through the years to “buck up,” “keep a stiff upper lip,” or that “crying is for wimps” – which makes it unappealing and unsafe to properly allow and accept our human emotions.
The truth is that no matter who or where you are, what you’re doing, or what you’re being faced with right now, things are different.
Maybe it feels scary, or overwhelming, or maybe it feels surreal.
You may be feeling any number of emotions, possibly even at the same time.
The point is, you’re going through something and it’s okay to admit it. In fact, it’s psychologically beneficial to admit it for a number of reasons.
First of all, when we are denying, supressing, or repressing our emotions, we are unconsciously sending messaging to our brains. Those messages include the fact that danger is present, and the brain then activates certain areas that are biologically structured to deal with threats.
When that happens, we may become agitated, easily angered, withdrawn, on-edge, or sad without understanding why.
When we name the emotion or emotions we’re feeling, it stimulates a different part of the brain that requires us to be more thoughtful and articulate, which then reduces or eliminates messaging to the brain that we are unsafe.
Never before has it been so researched and established that naming our emotions is actually healthy for us.
When we share our experiences (preferably with a healthy, trusted person) either with someone we know or a trained professional, we often feel an immediate release of tension.
Hence the expressions, “I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders” or, “It’s like the weight of the world has been taken off my back.”
Furthermore, it’s important to acknowledge what you’re going through because as the old saying goes, “that which we resist, persists,” which means that unless we address it, the issue will stick with us – whether we want it to or not.
Even writing your thoughts, fears, and emotions down on paper in a journal or diary has been found to have healing and stress-reducing benefits.
It allows for you to then read over what you’ve written, to see if perhaps a little perspective is needed, for you to tear the paper up as a metaphor for being done with it, or any other action that would be helpful for your mental and emotional well being.
Remember that our children, spouses, extended family, friends, neighbours, and fellow humans are all people who also need to name their emotions and acknowledge their experiences, so let’s help others where we can.
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FIRST COLUMN: Maple Ridge woman offers series of wellness tips amid COVID crisis
2nd: We mammals are in this together and will thrive together
3rd: Trying something new can help
4th: Celebrating inclusion in team humanity
5th: Learning to learn at home
6th: Take good care of yourself, so you can care for others
7th: Important to move your butt
8th: Join together in sharing gratitude for Canadians
9th: Ponder a mini vacation and make the best of what’s happening
10th: Taking time to focus on the good in your world
11th: Keeping the faith will make us all stronger in the end
12th: Picturing yourself strong
13th: Taking a few deep breaths
14th: Smile at life and share it around
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– Alex Bruce is a health and wellness author and accredited meditation and mindfulness instructor, and this is excerpt from her: “Let’s Be Calm: The Mental Health Handbook for Surviving and Thriving Through Pandemic”
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• Stay tuned tomorrow for the next COVID-19: In It Together column
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• If there is more to this column, please let us know about it. Email us at editor@mapleridgenews.com. We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.