How do you deal with your emotions?

Emotions have gotten a bad wrap in our society, since quite a while I believe. They are viewed as inferior with an over emphasis on our intellect. As a consequence most of us don’t have the best of relationship with our emotions, shouting for our attention so vividly.

Some of us might explode easily, not being able to regulate their anger. Others of us suppress any emotion, which might be dangerous to either us or others; at least in our minds.

Both isn’t healthy, being overtaken by our emotions, as well as keeping them so much in, that we start feeling numb.

On top of that we have divided emotions into the good and bad ones. Which means, if we are feeling anything in the bad category at all, we must be bad as well.

As I have mentioned before, there are unfortunately very few spaces nowadays where we can authentically express ourselves without being invalidated or ridiculed. Which makes it even harder to find a  place to land for our emotions.

Any kind of artistic expression is potentially a great place, where we can get in touch with ourselves again and find out what’s actually going on inside of us. What our inner, rich world looks like at any given moment.

My creativity has been a life saver more than once in my life, a safe place to land. As a kid, when I discovered theatre, I finally could express my anger without any consequences for example and even was allowed to have fun with it.

So, I believe art can play a vital role in expressing ourselves in a way, which isn’t restricted. At the same time I also think, it can become a problem, if that ends up being the only place where we dare to be real, while we are putting on the ‘nice mask’ at all other occasions. Stuffing our emotions deep down.

Dr. Gabor Maté has done quite a bit of research on how people dealing with autoimmune diseases for example, most of the time haven’t learned to have a healthy relationship with their anger, being too nice. He points out a direct link between the suppression of emotions and illness. In his book ‘When the body say no’ there are quite a few examples of people, who were successful comedians and still were struggling with their own demons of the past, as well as illness.

To me personally it makes a lot of sense and I am one of those people, dealing with autoimmune disease. Definitely just expressing ourselves through our art, while holding everything in within all other circumstances, is like a split.

Here we can be ourselves, but there not.

It’s tricky I know. It’s so complicated, because we need to navigate how we show up and how much of ourselves we want to reveal to whom. It’s risky and we constantly need to assess again what to do.

There’s no simple answers to this one. Yes, express yourself through your art, pour all your heart and soul into it, but also find the courage to be authentic in other places.

But I for sure know, if we want to feel ourselves whole, we need to find a better relationship with our inner emotional landscape and we need to be able to communicate it as well. The emotional experience is a vital part of being human and feeling alive.

So, I leave you with a question to ponder: How do you navigate your emotions? Are you someone who tends to keep them hidden or locked away? Or do you find solace in expressing them primarily through your art? Is there a safe space in your life to share your emotions openly?

Finding balance, seeking safe spaces, and redefining your relationship with your emotions can lead to a more harmonious and fulfilling life.

I invite you to embark on the journey of your emotions through art as well as in your real life. Do both, let the one influence the other. This is a great way through which we can become more connected not only with ourselves again, but also with one another. Instead of wearing a smiley mask at all times.