How To Handle Raw Emotions

By Kathleen Myers


Many, if not all, of us have been faced with a challenging situation that appeared to drive us on the edge. Some problems may be solved easily but many more others require help especially if they threaten to severe our treasured relationships. We should not let raw emotions have the better of us. Rather we should recognize these strong thoughts and feelings and take steps towards normalizing them.

One of the terms commonly used by psychologists to refer to stressful feelings and thoughts is emotional flooding. Perhaps the reason as to why this term is considered appropriate is because the thoughts are sudden and overwhelming, just like a flood. In most instances, there will be a predominant feeling in the foreground such as sadness, hatred, depression or fear. It is also common for feelings to change over time.

Deep emotions may be triggered by a number of situations. In general, these may include recalling past unpleasant events, thinking about a difficult present situation or worrying about an uncertain future. Affected persons will typically get lost in their thoughts as they recreate trauma and hurt suffered in the past. Such memories aggravate an already bad situation when replayed in the mind over and over.

Controlled behaviour is arguably the most accessible tool that one can use when dealing with unpleasant emotions. Deep belly breathing has been shown to help with relaxation and minimization of psychological stress. The benefits of this kind of breathing come in small incremental steps. However, it is important to note that emotional flooding may recur thus its important to continue practising deep breathing on a regular basis.

Even as you look for ways of dealing with these feelings, it is important that you take steps in understanding them. In most cases, there is a lot of confusion when emotional flooding occurs. There is a need to firstly, acknowledge the presence of the feelings and, secondly, to be willing to make some changes. Failure to do this often results in what is referred to as a closed emotional loop that makes things worse.

Social support plays an important role in the coping process. Most people do not talk about their struggles until when things appear to be getting out of hand. A strong social support system will help to keep you in check if you appear to be heading in the wrong direction. Some of the potential sources of help include close friends, relatives, colleagues and religious leaders among others.

Taking a break is necessary for anyone in emotional turmoil. It is important you direct all your efforts to solving this issue so that your mind can be freed to continue with your regular routine. This means that one needs to literally spend some time in a quiet place and contemplate the next decision carefully having considered their situation. In many cases, you will be surprised to learn that you may have overreacted unnecessarily.

Dealing with various emotions is never easy and especially when they have just been triggered. Strong emotions may lead to self destruction if one does not know how exactly to handle them. Taking time to understand the feelings should be the first step towards deciding on the best way of handling them. It is important to always ask for help when you realize that what you are dealing with is making your life difficult.




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