Were you encouraged to embrace your emotions growing up? Or did you grow up hearing messages like “Stop crying,” “Get over it,” or “Don’t be so sensitive”? These phrases, though often well-intentioned, can condition us to believe that emotions are something to be suppressed, hidden, or even feared. If you were taught that emotions were the enemy, you are definitely not alone. Many of us internalised these messages, leading to a harmful cycle where we bottle up our feelings, believing they’re not okay.

Here’s the truth you were not told

Emotions are not only okay, they’re essential. As human beings, we are meant to experience a wide range of emotions. They offer valuable insights into our inner world and are designed to move through us like waves. However, when we’re taught that emotions are unacceptable, a disconnect forms. On one hand, you’re having these natural, human emotions. On the other, the narrative in your head insists that you shouldn’t be feeling them. This conflict often leads to the unhealthy practice of bottling up emotions—suppressing them, pushing them down, and trying to ignore them.

Why is bottling up emotions a problem?

When we bottle them up, they don’t simply disappear. Instead, they accumulate, building up inside like the steam in a pressure cooker. This can create both physical and emotional consequences. For example, when bottled up for too long, they eventually explode, often in an overwhelming and frightening way. These outburst feel scary and deeply upsetting, which leaves you feeling that you just can’t manage them!

Bottling up emotions can also cause anxiety. Read more about that HERE.

How to embrace your emotions

When we first start doing this work, we need to start releasing them slowly and gradually, like gently turning the valve on a pressure cooker to let out steam bit by bit. By allowing your emotions to be felt and processed over time, you can avoid the intense build-up that leads to those explosive moments. This process of releasing emotions safely helps you to feel less anxious and prevents the need to store them in your body. They can move through you, like a wave.

So, here’s a gentle reminder: your feelings are okay. Emotions are a natural and necessary part of being human. Instead of bottling them up, give yourself permission to feel them, to allow them and then release them in a healthy way. When you start to embrace your emotions, you are taking a step towards a calmer, more confident life.

If you are new to naming your feelings, you can download my FREE Feelings Wheel

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