How To Release All The Emotions Running Inside Of You

How many different emotions were you feeling yesterday? And probably still today?

If you're anything like me, there were A LOT. And they were intense. The uncertainty of waiting for the election results sat like a rock in my stomach.

So I did what I always do. I danced and I walked (this was after some bourbon and way too much Facebook and news on Tuesday night. I was ready for a new strategy by yesterday morning 🙂 )

A strange thing happened on the walk....

A few minutes in I felt the sudden urge to run. And, you guys, I am NOT a runner. I hate running. It hurts and it's not fun.

But my body wanted to run. So I listened.

I took off sprinting as fast as I could, pumping my arms wildly and bounding my legs forward.

About 5 second in, tears sprang to my eyes.

Apparently I had so much emotion in me that it had to come out in multiple ways all at once.

I kept running. Until I was breathless and everything inside of me was out. It took about a minute.

And then I was fine. The emotion just had to get out.

I'm currently reading the book Burnout by Amelia and Emily Nagoski right now (HIGHLY recommend it!) and they talk about the importance of releasing your emotions so that we don't become completely exhausted and overwhelmed by stress.

Releasing doesn't fix the problem, but it does bring you back to a baseline so you can keep moving forward. And hopefully with some energy leftover for joy.

There are a whole bunch of ways to release emotions. Physical activity, like my crazy sprint yesterday, is the #1 thing you can do. An exceptionally long hug, belly laughs, crying, creative expression, and positive social interaction all work too.

And here's the thing -- you don't have to plan what to do for your release. Just listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs. Your only job is to follow its instructions.

There's no way you don't have a bunch of emotions running around inside of you right now. The best self-care you can do is release them. Follow your body. Do what it says. Feel the emotions dissipate. Repeat as necessary. Maybe several times a day right now 🙂