Everyone has emotions and everyone processes them in their own way. But some methods are more healthy than others. Many people bottle up their emotions to their detriment. Sometimes society can make people feel as though there is no room for expressing emotions. Adults often encourage children not to express their emotions through punishment or inattention, and bottling emotions becomes a learned behavior that carries into adolescence and adulthood. Other reasons people keep their feelings to themselves include not wanting to appear weak and preferring to be more private. Whatever reasons you may have for keeping your emotions bottled up, you are doing yourself a disservice. It’s important to learn how to deal with your emotions, negative, positive, and neutral in healthy ways.

Results of Bottling Up Your Emotions

There are many consequences to not dealing with your feelings. When you repeatedly sweep your emotions under the proverbial rug, you’re not addressing them and they become an obstacle, making you feel helpless and anxious most of the time. Many people implement unhealthy coping methods like alcohol, sex, and drugs to deal with bottled-up emotions. If you’ve turned to amphetamine and stimulants, there are resources available that can help you achieve sobriety and learn healthy coping strategies. Unaddressed emotions can even lead to physical symptoms like headaches, muscle aches, and trouble focusing. These physical manifestations can make it difficult to function and can lead to more serious health concerns in the long run.

Ways to Deal with Your Emotions

You don’t have to keep your emotions pent up inside. There are healthy ways to address them and find support. Here are some ways that can help you better manage your emotions, address them, and find solutions to whatever may have brought them on.

● Do your best to identify the source of your negative emotions. The more time you spend identifying your emotional triggers, the better you’ll get at identifying the causes. Ask yourself what you’re feeling when the feeling started, and if there are some changes you need to make.

● Start keeping a journal of your feelings and thoughts. Writing sometimes simplifies reflecting, problem-solving, and reducing stress for those who struggle.

● Invest more in your physical health. Get regular exercise and eat a healthy diet.

● Phone a friend when you need a listening ear. Sometimes all you need is a good vent to help ease the stress of dealing with negative emotions. You can also start therapy or counseling to learn your patterns and identify additional healthy coping strategies.

Addiction and Emotions

Far too often, when people neglect their emotional health, it impacts other areas of their lives. Addiction and alcoholism is a common coping strategy that can have long-term negative effects on individuals and families. It causes a strain on relationships and does nothing to solve the underlying problems. If you or someone you love needs help finding where to start, contact the SAMHSA helpline.

It feels good to express your emotions. But if you’re used to keeping them bottled up you may find it to be a strange feeling at first. The more you practice opening up, the better you’ll get at it. When you can be open and honest with yourself, it’s a lot easier to understand your emotions and how to counteract or flow with them.