Learning to ‘let it go’!
It’s hard to believe that this year is almost over, and what a year it’s been.
We have had some incredibly sad, heart wrenching times that are still very heavy on our hearts and there’s no brushing over that.
One thing I have learnt over the last few years, specifically bearing in mind my journey with pain and stress in my body, is that it is crucial not to bury emotions and shove them down.
Maybe you’ve been taught to do this, maybe it’s served you well up until now to keep quiet and keep the peace so to speak. But the more and more I am learning about chronic pain and overcoming it, the more I realise that we are asking for trouble by doing this. Repressed emotion builds in the body and more often than not, comes out in physical form.
So if there’s anything I can wish you over Christmas, the New Year and for 2021 and beyond, is that you can be at peace with yourself, throughout the good and the bad times.
Learn to accept your emotions, all of them, learn to find a way of expressing yourself in a safe manner…. Journaling is definitely my chosen form of venting! No one sees it, you can even burn or rip up the pages once you’re done (very cathartic might I add!). You can be as real as real and it is out of your system in a safe way, which more often than not, brings a resolve and a peace about it. Quite often by letting it all go on the page I can even bring about a resolution in a very natural way myself.
This letting go is so good emotionally and physically as research has linked emotional repression to decreased immune system function. If your immune system doesn’t work properly, you might get sick more frequently and recover slowly.
Repressed emotions can also factor into mental health conditions, such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
These issues often cause physical symptoms, including:
muscle tension and pain
nausea and digestive problems
appetite changes
fatigue and sleep problems
Childhood trauma, one possible cause of repressed emotions, may also play a part in chronic illness.
Unresolved anger can have some significant health consequences, too. If you struggle with expressing anger in productive ways, you may face a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, digestive issues and/or cardiovascular disease.
If ever there was a reason to get those journals out and get writing!! It’s definitely high on my list of things to dedicate more time to next year for sure.
I will leave you now with Queen Elsa of Arendelle’s words signing in my head….
Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas, New Year and a blessed year ahead full of hope, health and healing,
Sarah x