Are you someone who distracts yourself from uncomfortable feelings, or do you acknowledge them?
For much of my life, I was a distractor. Whenever unsettling emotions surfaced, I’d quickly reach for something to shift my focus. My “positive” distraction of choice was uplifting podcasts or a feel good movie.
Recently, however, a familiar wave of sadness rose up from my solar plexus. Instead of reaching for a distraction, I heard an inner voice whisper: “Ask what this feeling really is.” So I did.
The answer came clearly: Collective Grief.
As I tuned into the sensation in my body, I recognised the deep sadness and loss connected not just to me, but to the pain and upheaval happening in the world beyond my own front door.
Another time, the feeling that surfaced was guilt. This time I acknowledged it for what it was. Guilt over past actions and how I still judge myself. In that moment, Oprah Winfrey’s words echoed within me: “When you know better, you do better.” I set the intention to release that guilt, and I could physically feel it rising up from my belly and lifting away.
What does the mind tell us to do with these feelings?
Our mind, always acting as manager and protector will often justify, explain away, or create strategies so we don’t have to sit with the discomfort. Left unchecked or ignored, this can drive us into distractions: work, food, alcohol, drugs, or any number of addictions, and the BIG ONE blaming others.
What happens to the body if we ignore them?
Suppressing feelings takes an enormous amount of energy. It’s like trying to hold a ping pong ball under water, it takes force to keep it submerged, and the moment you let go, it pops right back to the surface.
This is exactly what happens in the body. Your energy is spent holding down emotions that naturally want to rise and be acknowledged. Over time, this suppression shows up physically as tightness, rigidity, pain, and can eventually manifest as illness in the very area where those emotions have been buried.
So how do we dissolve or release them?
The first step is simple but powerful: Acknowledge them.
In my own journey, the emotions I’ve acknowledged and worked with through energy practices haven’t resurfaced. Once brought into awareness and lovingly released, they no longer need to cycle back.
There are many ways to work with stuck emotions, and support is available if you feel you need it. Choose a modality that resonates with you, but remember, ignoring uncomfortable feelings or wishing them away will not create change or heal dis-ease and imbalances in the body.
For me, sound and light frequencies have been transformative tools in clearing emotional blocks. If this approach speaks to you, I encourage you to give it a try!
Release the ping pong balls of emotions you are holding down - it's time!