Emotions need to be felt
Emotions tend to come in waves — similar to ocean waves crashing along the beach. If we try to fight the waves, we get splashed in the face and have a generally bad time. If instead we float with the waves letting them pass through us, we can find peace until the water eventually becomes calm.
Expressing feelings or emotions involves “letting go” of them — letting them pass. Feelings can be expressed through multiple mediums:
- journaling
- talking through the emotions in therapy
- feeling them through art
If emotions are ignored, they can have a “boomerang” effect where they can come back stronger than they were before.
Acknowledging our emotions as valid and understandable improves our relationship with ourselves and gets us “past” them.
Feeling emotions can be very painful but it is necessary to live a full life.
The simple act of labeling what you’re feeling (without judgement) can help regulate your emotions. Emotions come and go like waves, if we let them. The idea here is to ride the wave of emotion instead of trying to stop a giant wave and getting pushed around.
In Taoism, we cannot feel joy without also feeling pain.