WE ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN WE THINK
The subject of Emotional Pain has come up often over the past months and I have hesitated writing this newsletter. It is a heavy subject, but of course an important one. Maybe now is the right time.
Tackling Emotional Pain can be huge. It is something we have all experienced in various ways. The distress that comes from so many different situations can have a deep impact on our lives.
Emotional Pain is an ache of the psyche; it’s the way we respond to any adverse experience or situation. It is not like physical pain. Sometimes we can’t point to a tangible source, but still, its effect can be immense.
Whether we have gone through trauma such as child abuse, surviving a disaster or witnessing violence; perhaps relationship breakdowns, bereavements or family loss; major changes, for example: job redundancy or moving house; these can shake our very foundations.
Ongoing acute frustration, anxiety and depression can also be a source of great emotional pain.
Any of these can impact our stability, our sense of belonging and our self esteem. We can feel wounded, perhaps discriminated against, stigmatised, isolated or totally excluded.
Emotional Pain can also manifest in our bodies. If our pain remains unresolved we can experience chronic pain such as fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, psychosomatic illnesses and disease (which really means “dis-at-ease”).
The longer the pain festers, the more damaging the effects on our mind and body, potentially leading to a feeling of utter hopelessness.
There is always hope! There are many things that can be done and avenues that can be explored to help us work through the healing process.
Let’s look at some practical strategies that can help allay Emotional Pain.
- Working with a health professional in therapy and counselling. This provides a safe space to express ourselves and to explore the root causes of pain.
- Being committed to self-care routines: healthy sleep patterns, good nutrition and relaxation techniques. These can all strengthen the body and mind against the effects of emotional pain.
- Making changes to our mindset can be transformative. All those practical tools and techniques in my workshops build up our resilience in handling emotional setbacks.
- Regular physical activity releases endorphins (our feel-good hormones). These can lift our mood and are a natural counter to emotional stress.
- Finding a creative outlet like music, writing or painting. These can be great tools to express and help release the pain we are facing.
- Working on our social support with friends and family or sharing our experiences with an empathetic and trusted person can help when we feel isolated. Everyone needs to “dump” their problems, and then we work on the solutions.
- Some may have unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance misuse. Seeking specialist treatment is a crucial step towards recovery.
- Setting firm boundaries is vital for protecting our emotional space. (For those who are new subscribers, look up my newsletter from July 2023 entitled “Drawing the Line Politely”.)
- A sense of belonging is essential for every human being. Some of us will have spiritual or religious practices that can be comforting, or we work with a community organisation. Helping others raises us up and having a sense of purpose is vital, a reason to get up each morning.
There are no easy answers; there are no quick solutions. It may be a long journey but we human beings are amazing. We have enormous power and strength to heal and recover.
Here’s to Love and Laughter always (both are essential for our ongoing wellbeing)
