Healing Through Feeling

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

During the course of our lives, we experience a roller coaster of emotions. From wonder to apathy, joy to pain, hate to love, and everything in between, human beings live each moment with one feeling or another. Our interactions with one another are based on, influenced by, and provoke certain emotions.

Naturally, when experiencing positive emotions such as love or happiness, our entire reaction to the world around us is positive. The health effects of happiness reportedly include the reduced production of a hormone linked to diabetes and hypertension.

You may be surprised to know that happiness and it's effects on the body are points of scientific studies, exhaustive research and the attentions of many scientists across the world.

Let's get real here, folks.

Life happens. Your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you, cheats on you, you're stressed over money issues, your job is a failure or you are unhappy about your body. A loved one passes away, relationship issues, you name the bad day causes and they happen to us all. You fuss, you cry, and generally make yourself properly unhappy for any period of time when these things happen, as a natural reaction.

So, what happens to you then? Your body creates certain chemicals, your brain does a certain thing, and emotionally you experience negative effects. But never fear! Well, maybe fear a little bit, but bear with me here.

Suppression of natural emotions such as anger, pain, sadness or stress can, and will, have negative effects on your health.

• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Sleeping Disorders
• Weight Gain
• Self Harm

So, what is the first step to preventing these things?

Cry. Have a fit. Punch your pillows or mattress. Why do you think we have temper tantrums as children, aside from the attention it gains? They are natural, that's is why. When someone makes you angry, it is perfectly natural to feel that anger deep within you. When someone or something makes you sad, it is perfectly natural to cry.

In all seriousness, when coping with a situation that invokes a feeling of sadness, grief or loss, acknowledging your own pain, realizing it and allowing the natural course of wholesome emotion to continue by way of tears gives you the time you need to think through and fully experience the situation. Crying is the body's way of giving you time to be irrational, vulnerable and contemplative. If some facet of your life has caused the tears to flow, stop and let yourself experience it. When the tears begin to roll and your chest heaves in upset, while you sniffle and hold your face in your hands, consider what it is that makes you feel this way. Think about what is upsetting you and let all of the various aspects of it flow into your tears.

By fully giving in to your tears, you will inspire a healthy exchange of emotions within yourself. You will create a pattern of release and action by crying as much as your body needs to and then doing something about your upset.

Too often today, we bottle up our negative emotions. Our little tears, our little angers all get stored away and fester in some closed off part of ourselves. This is not healthy, and this is what causes larger issues.

So, in short:

Cry, it is healthy and will help you learn more about yourself and your life.