Feel your feelings. If you’re a person who tends to numb or stuff your feelings, know that doing so just puts you in bondage to your feelings. Those emotions won’t just disappear because they are ignored. They won’t remain hidden away just because they were stuffed.
Feelings come out in other ways. Whether through destructive behaviors, health problems, emotional outbursts at inconvenient times, or something else, they make themselves known.
Learn healthy ways to express your emotions. Whether it be through doing something creative, punching something soft, venting to someone, or something else, find ways that are a good fit for you and that don’t hurt others. You don’t have to live a life controlled by unexpressed emotions.
Write in a journal. The great thing about journaling is that there are no rules. You can write whatever you like, in whatever format you like, and you don’t have to be concerned about things like grammar, spelling, or even coherency. Just let your thoughts and feelings come out through your pen. Journaling can be a healthy release of emotions as well as a good way to work through your thoughts.
You can be creative, if you’d like, and write poems or stories or draw pictures. If that isn’t your thing, and you aren’t sure where to begin, just start by writing one word, one thought, or one feeling.
Find journaling exercises and journaling pages online, choose one, and try it. If that one doesn’t work, try another. It may take a few attempts to find something that is effective for you and helps you get on a roll with journaling.
Think of your journal as a safe place to talk, where you won’t be judged, questioned, or criticized. You can freely express whatever in on your mind and in your heart. And as you get those thoughts and feelings out, you can heal from any negative effects they may have on you and move forward in your life.
Trust God. Whether it’s an internal struggle or a difficult set of circumstances, you can trust God to see you through it. You may have a hard time understanding His ways sometimes, but that’s just part of being human.
You can’t see all that He sees or know all that He knows. But you can trust that He loves you unconditionally and, therefore, always has your best interest in mind. Knowing that, you can rest in His plan for you, whatever it may be.
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