The Power Of Leaning In To Our Emotions
- Feb 7, 2022
- 4 min read
Written by: Susanne Venaas, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Emotions are nothing more than our feelings in motion. They are merely here as messengers. Often the message will show up physically or mentally, and it is up to us to have the awareness of this stored emotion coming up, a willingness to change, and then taking aligned action to change. As a Spiritual, Life and Energy coach is it my role to help my clients grasp the awareness of suppressed emotion, to help them release the energy stored within the body and come up with aligned action.
Often it feels easier to push down ‘unpleasant’ emotions rather than bring our awareness to them. There is often fear of being in discomfort, or of not showing up in a favourable way. That certain emotions like happiness, joy, contentment are of a higher priority than emotions such as shame, guilt, disappointment, anger, or sadness.
The reality is that each emotion is of importance and of value; even the uncomfortable ones. There’s often an underlying message for these emotions.
Bitterness shows you where you need to heal, where you’re still holding judgments on others and yourself.
Resentment shows you where you’re living in the past and not allowing the present to be as it is.
Discomfort shows you that you need to pay attention right now to what is happening because you’re being given the opportunity to change, to do something different than you typically do it.
Anger shows you what you’re passionate about, where your boundaries are, and what you believe needs to change about the world.
Disappointment shows you that you tried for something, that you did not give in to apathy, that you still care.
Guilt shows you that you’re still living life in other people’s expectations of what you should do.
Shame shows you that you’re internalizing other people’s beliefs about who you should be (or who you are) and that you need to reconnect with yourself.
Anxiety shows you that you need to wake up, right now, and that you need to be present, that you’re stuck in the past and living in fear of the future.
Sadness shows you the depth of your feeling, the depth of your care for others and this world.
As we become aware of these emotions we can recognize how these stored or suppressed may feelin in the body. They usually present as physical discomfort so that we have to slow down and shift our awareness to them. Some indicators that you have emotions stored in the body are.
Feeling random pain with no real reason.
Nightmares /Night Terrors / Trouble sleeping soundly.
Chronic depression or anxiety.
Muscle tension with no justifiable reason.
Fatigue even though you are rested.
Lack of focus and clarity.
Memories or projected thoughts causing physical discomfort.
When we become attuned and aware to how these emotions may be stored within the body, we can then use this knowledge to take aligned action to shift this stored energy. Some things that you can do to shift emotions are as follows.
Say what you mean. Speaking our truth, this is the truth of the heart, is one of the most powerful ways in which to shift our emotions.
When something doesn’t feel right, stop. You may think this goes without saying, but we live in a society that has us looking outside of ourselves consistently for validation and so our trust in ourselves and our guidance diminishes.
Allow yourself to feel happy. The key is not to limit this by thinking about how long the happiness will last or when it may end. Be present.
Don’t run away from discomfort. It’s ok to be uncomfortable. Realize which emotions are causing the discomfort, be with them, and then allow them to be expressed. This is your chance to be free of them.
Make inner peace your priority. Walk away from people, places and circumstances that do not bring peace to you.
Above all, remember that love heals all. Love yourself. Love yourself. Love yourself wholly.
Susanne Venaas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susanne Venaas is an International Spiritual Coach based out of St. Albert, Alberta Canada. Susanne works both in-person and virtually connecting with her clients in their transformation and growth. She also supports learning via her online school, and her Rebel Soul Podcast to help them connect to their most authentic selves. Wellness to her is an integrative approach to body mind and spirit. Susanne has been featured in Yahoo News + Finance as one of the top 10 Spiritual Coaches to watch in 2021, as well as featured in CEO Medium as an expert in her field, and her Rebel Soul Podcast made Top 10 Spiritual Podcasts in Canada after it's first 6 weeks of going live in May 2021. Her passion is working with others to cultivate a deeply meaningful and connected life.
