Having repressed emotions is one of the heaviest loads you will carry in this life. Do you have emotional baggage that you cannot seem to get over? When the past binds you, you can’t move on to your future and purpose for your existence.
Your past is not a prison sentence. So why do you let it keep you chained? Alas, there are ways to get rid of all these negative repressed emotions so that you can be happier and live a healthy life. If you think it’s impossible to let go of past feelings, you need to retrain your brain to think and respond differently.
Fifteen Ways to Get Rid of Repressed Emotions
If you’re ready to make some changes, you should know that it’s not going to be easy, but it can be done. Some people find comfort in self-pity because it gives them an excuse not to move on or do something about the situation.
Today can be a fresh start by developing some new behaviors and habits that will transform your life. Here are the 15 best ways to help you get rid of these pent-up emotions.
1. Laugh More
Have you ever been around someone jolly? Happy people often smile, laugh constantly, and are a pleasure to be around.
Do you know what else is so unique about these happy folks? They have an infectious personality. It’s hard to feel down when you’re laughing, and when you smile, you help push the negativity away.
2. Cry It Out
Many people thought that crying is a sign of weakness in previous times. However, psychology has proved that this is untrue. Having a good sobbing session can be very cleansing for the soul.
When you release all those repressed emotions, you’re letting go of things that are troubling you.
3. Seek Counseling
When the emotional load that you carry is too heavy, it helps to talk with someone. Counseling is an excellent tool because it gives you a third-party opinion. Having someone from the outside looking in can help you to put things into perspective.
4. Stop Overthinking
Do you tend to overthink things? Stop overanalyzing all the little insignificant details. If your spouse cheated on you, then you may beat yourself up with thoughts of what you could have done differently to change the situation.
Stop blaming yourself for things out of your control. Sure, your relationship might not have been the greatest, but it’s never a reason to cheat on someone. When you overthink each little detail, it will drive you mad.
5. Exercise
When you feel stressed out or emotional about your life, then work it out in the gym. Did you know that burning calories and sweating can also help to make you feel better? Harvard Health Publishing did an article on how moving can improve depression.
Even if you take the stairs instead of the elevator at work, it can dramatically impact you. Exercise is the key to mental health, and now many studies back up these claims. The key to working out those repressed emotions is to move your body more.
6. Journaling to Get Out Repressed Emotions
Journaling has been done in some methods since the beginning of time. While you don’t need to carve your life’s occurrences into rock walls anymore, it’s beneficial to write things down. Use your pen and paper to get out those repressed feelings that keep you from fulfilling your purpose.
If you’re having a difficult time, then journal about it. When you write in a journal, you’re getting out all those negativities without involving anyone else. Remember having a diary as a kid to write to the diary your deepest and darkest secrets?
Well, journaling is the same thing as the treasured diary you kept as a child.
7. Meditate
Meditation is a beautiful way to help clear your mind of the negativity that holds you down. When you meditate, you’re freeing your mind of all the sadness that keeps you from going forward. The good news is that you can meditate anywhere when you feel overwhelmed by your emotions.
If you’re driving down the road and sobbing due to past hurts, pull over to the side and meditate to get yourself under control. It’s best to use guided meditation until you learn how to do it without a guide, which will come with time.
8. Practice Forgiveness
Has someone hurt you so deeply that you can’t get over it? Try forgiving them rather than blaming them. When you forgive, you release the event that was done to you to move on with your life. Forgiveness isn’t about them; it’s about finding healing for you.
9. Ask for Forgiveness
Maybe the events from your life have caused you to do something you regret. When you have hurt others with your words or actions, then you need to ask for forgiveness. Your activities often keep you from moving forward as you live in regret, but you must learn to forgive yourself.
10. Try Symbolic Cleansing
Symbolic cleansings are extremely popular for many reasons. To do such a ritual, write a letter to the person or circumstances that keep you captive. Once the letter is written, go outside and burn it while asking the Universe for help in overcoming these matters.
Many people say that they feel a release when they do these cleansing rituals. There are other methods to do these cleansings, such as putting a letter in a time capsule and burying it.
11. Turn Your Focus to Positive Things
If you dwell on the negative things all the time, then you will be a negative person. However, if you focus on positive things, then you will have a more optimistic outlook. It takes real work to see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, but you can retrain your brain to have a positive outlook.
12. Learn to Let It Go
Stop beating yourself up over past mistakes. If you allow some situations, it will destroy you. Repressed feelings can eat away at your well-being like cancer. However, it would help if you learned to let things go.
When old thoughts or feelings come creeping in, you need to counteract them with something positive. When your mind starts wandering to areas you want to release, then remind yourself that you don’t live there anymore, and you’ve moved on. Stop whining over spilled milk. Clean up the mess, release it was a common mistake, and move on.
13. Plan for a Future From Repressed Emotions
When you stop dwelling on the past, then you can look to the future. One ancient writing wrote that when people don’t have a vision, they perish. If you can’t look beyond your current situation to the future, then you will become stagnated.
Have you ever seen a body of water that has no movement? This is often observed down south in the bayous. The water collects and doesn’t get enough oxygen, so it becomes stagnated. You will see it turn green as bacteria and other fungi gather.
Your soul is much like this water. If you don’t make plans and have some movement, you will become stale and exist. Not much life thrives in these swamp waters because it’s not fit for habitation.
Having a dream and a vision for your future refreshes you and gives you a reason to keep going.
14. Create a Positive Mantra
Developing a positive mantra is an excellent way to release repressed emotions and become a new you. Start by changing your attitude. Did you know that one year equals 365 possibilities, and those are further chances to do something different?
When self-doubt fills your mind, use a positive mantra to combat it. Say things like:
- “No lazy artist ever made a masterpiece.”
- “When I step out of my comfort zone, I will accomplish great things.”
- “The biggest journey in my life begins with one small step.”
A mantra is not only something you quote, but it’s something you learn to live by.
15. Engage in Self-Care
Self-care is so essential to your overall well-being. You need to take care of yourself, and you need to be good at your job, parenting, and relationships. According to an article written about this topic by Southern New Hampshire University, when you engage in self-care, you lower your risks of heart disease and burnout.
Final Thoughts on Letting Go of Repressed Feelings
Unsettled emotions get imprisoned in your body where they grow and worsen, depleting your strength, leading to exhaustion, emotional disparity, and ultimately illness. When you habitually suppress emotions, you generate toxicity in the mind and body. You’re an emotional creature by design, and you need to let these feelings escape.
How many times did your parents tell you that you needed to be seen and not heard? It would be best if you learned to let go of past emotions to live a happy and healthy life.
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