missing apologies cannot be
the piece that holds you back
your hurt, the wrongs done to you
may never be acknowledged
don’t stay trapped in the past
trying to walk forward
while facing backwards
forgive without needing an apology
for your own freedom
over time
people will always
show you who they are
listen to what they do
more than what they say
realize
you’re not fooling anyone
either
How to Process Your Emotions
psych2go:
There are nuances to every emotion, and during any given moment, you can experience contradicting feelings. The elusiveness of your emotions can cause anxiety and stress without you knowing why. Often, the pursual of understanding why can lead you down the path of rumination and negative thinking.
Though rumination and negative thinking can exacerbate mental health problems, overall, it is a problem in itself. While rumination and negative thinking can devolve into an unconscious habit, some techniques can help you find a balance between ignoring your emotions and feeling overwhelmed by them.
So, how can you process your emotions?
1. Journaling
Being able to process your emotions starts with becoming aware of them. A popular tool is journaling. Many experts recommend writing down your emotions as it has been shown to reduce stress. A study published in 2005 by Karen A. Baikie and Kay Wilhelm from The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Australia recapitulated the many immediate and long-term benefits of journaling. According to earlier studies, some of the objective physical benefits of journaling are improved physical health such as blood pressure, liver function, and improved immune system.
Although there is inconsistent evidence regarding whether or not journaling can improve psychological symptoms, a 2003 study found that expressive writing was beneficial for those with alexithymia, which has similar characteristics found among patients with psychosomatic or borderline personality disorders. Additionally, an article published by the University of Minnesota in 2016 found that expressing your emotions via writing, talking, or another medium, improved mental health in students who were refugees.
The key to successful journaling is contingent upon the way you journal. A successful method was to write about your deepest thoughts and feelings regarding an emotional issue that affected your life. While writing, the point is to let go. Allow your thoughts and words to be undisturbed. Do not worry about syntax or grammar. Just write. In the world of art theory and history, this journaling process is very similar to automatism. A concept that began in the Dada movement and was later used in surrealist art.
If you don’t feel comfortable writing down your thoughts, find a different outlet. There are many different ways to express yourself.
2. Ground yourself
Continue Reading…
there are no
bad feelings
wrong feelings
there are simply
harder feelings
grief, regret, sadness
anger, rage, loss
suppressing them
avoiding them
just dams them up
buries them underground
pressure builds and
they show up
in unhealthy ways
like pus squeezed out
of an infected wound
like pressure building
erupting in random, small geysers
until a volcano explodes
like pinhole leaks in a dam
that gradually expand into cracks
before the whole dam fails
feel them, process them,
let them flow through and observe
feel your feelings, honor them with their time
trace them back to the thoughts
that fed them, accept them,
seek to understand them
clean the wounds
so they can heal
“There comes a day when you realise turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realise there’s so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on.”— Zayn Malik
let go of each moment
make room for the next
welcome the next
onesecondbeforesunset:
I want to say somewhere: I’ve tried to be forgiving. And yet. There were times in my life, whole years, when anger got the better of me. Ugliness turned me inside out. There was a certain satisfaction in bitterness. I courted it. It was standing outside, and I invited it in. I scowled at the world. And the world scowled back. We were locked in a stare of mutual disgust. I used to let the door slam in people’s faces. I farted where I wanted to fart. I accused cashiers of cheating me out of a penny, while holding the penny in my hand. And then one day I realized I was on my way to being the sort of schmuck who poisons pigeons. People crossed the street to avoid me. I was a human cancer. And to be honest: I wasn’t really angry. Not anymore. I had left my anger somewhere long ago. Put it down on a park bench and walked away. And yet. It had been so long, I didn’t know any other way of being. One day I woke up and said to myself: It’s not too late. The first days were strange. I had to practice smiling in front of the mirror. But it came back to me. It was as if a weight had been lifted. I let go, and something let go of me.
— Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
holding on to anger
is like cradling
a poisonous viper
to your chest
process the hurt
that drove the anger
and release the poison
before it consumes you
accept what hurt you
accept whoever hurt you
they were where they were
you were where you were
there is no changing it
there is only acceptance
so you’re not trapped there, forever
forgiveness is for your freedom
a letting go of a way of being
that came out of being poisoned
by holding on to resentment
until you became
bitter
