While my previous trip with a friend was amazing and very important, there is another side of self care. A side that I don’t like to talk about, but I feel that it needs to be mentioned if I want to be honest and helpful about becoming a healthy adult.
This is the side that includes the raw emotions. The ones that are not at all fun, but are just as, if not more, vital to acknowledge. You know the ones; that we sweep under the carpet because it’s easier at the time. Well, if we do that too often, bad things can happen.
The reason I know about this is because of a very special person and her organization. The Village of the Valley is a non-profit, whose mission is “to help women find connection in order to discover their unique self to improve and cultivate healthy relationships in communities. It is our calling to walk alongside women navigating life’s journey, assist them to identify each woman’s unique purpose, offer support and help in cultivating personal development skills in order to move forward, emboldened to positively impact their families and communities.”
I happened to be one of those extremely fortunate women. I met Brandi though another amazing woman, Katie, who was gracious enough to share this treasure with me. I began to meet with Brandi because, like all of us, I had things going on in my life that I didn’t know how to deal with on my own.
Here’s part of what I learned while speaking with Brandi.
It is not healthy to hold your emotions in. Sure, we should all know this, and we probably do, but life has a way of helping us forget. I am very guilty of this. I don’t remember a time when I was comfortable letting my emotions out in front of people. Unless it was laughter. I know all about making jokes to hide the awkward, sad emotions. I guess I felt that sadness would be seen as weakness. Who knows the reason, and right now it doesn’t matter to me. All that matters now is that I find a way to let my emotions out in a healthy manner.
While I’m thinking of it, I need to mention that it is perfectly normal for men to show emotion. Yes, the emotions that are not anger. And yes, even real, manly men. I’m tired of hearing that if a man shows any type of emotion that he is weak. I wonder if that’s where I got it from? It’s way past time that we allow men to feel. Period! We need to allow, accept, and even admire a man that can show emotions. And not just when someone retires from football.
Oh, hey, did I mention that the sessions with Village of the Valley are completely free? Yes! FREE!!! What an incredible gift. If you would like to support this amazing resource with a tax-deductible contributions, please click here.
What are some healthy ways of releasing emotions?
Listening to music– fun! Music makes the world a better place. Music takes me away, even if only for a short time.
Exercise– fun’ish, okay, not really, but it’s necessary. You really do feel physically and mentally so much better when you move your body. You don’t have to do Triathlons. Just do something.
Talk or write- fun, maybe? It really helps to talk about your feelings. Get them out of your head! If you don’t feel like you have someone to talk to, write about them.
Crying– no fun at all, but yes it’s healthy to cry. And it’s even okay to cry in front of people. At least that’s what I’ve been told, so I guess I’ll have to do my best to try it. Every time I think about finally letting my emotions out, I think about that one episode of FRIENDS when Bruce Willis plays Rachel’s boyfriend and she begs him to share with her. You know the episode. It’s a real possibility. But I guess if those emotions are there, they’ve got to go somewhere. I’m sure eventually they’d stop flowing.
What are some of the healthy ways you release your emotions? Leave your ideas in the comments. I said healthy!