Let It Be Or Let It Go?? That Is The Question..

In case you weren’t aware of it, we are hard-wired to have emotions. It’s been this way since the beginning of time. We need emotions—they are what adds “sugar and spice” to our lives. .. even the ones that are not so tasty..

The next time you find yourself filled with anxiety, stress, or worry, pause and ask yourself these questions:

1. What is the worst that can happen?

2. What can I do about it at this time?

3. What am I actually afraid of?

“Holding things in” is never a good answer. Even when we don’t understand our feelings, we need to give them room to be expressed. If the moment you feel something isn’t the right time to express it, take a moment to recognize that feeling and then learn to express it when the time is right.

Anger, fear, and sadness are, the most strongly felt and energy draining, they are also the easiest to identify because they have very specific outlets. Anger makes you want to scream and yell or lash out at something.. Sadness makes you want to cry, in order to express the loss. Fear is a red flag for danger, which needs to be paid attention to. We respond to the feeling by one of 3 ways: “flight, fight or freeze” .

Stress or anxiety is not so easy to quantify and lingers longer. These feelings are harder to fix because they generally don't relate to anything specific. They are mental images of dread and unhappily ever after endings.

Humans are the only animal that developed imagination, the ability to form mental images of various outcomes, in order to prepare for them. It was our way of learning to cope with a “survival of the fittest” world full of danger.

Today, stress and anxiety have replaced the need to escape from the lion or tiger. No longer is the danger “life and death” for the most part, because nowadays most threats are not so immediate or impending. They are possibilities that rarely happen. The brain still functions on a more primitive level – its’ job is to ensure our survival, so it sends the signal to produce all the chemicals to fight off the attack or “run for your life”. The adrenalin produced remains unused, but the chemicals stay in your body. Over time, this process is what creates stress and anxiety. Sometimes we don’t even know what is causing our stress. Sometimes, our brains can’t discriminate between a real threat and figments of our imagination.

Emotions are like waves in the ocean—they come crashing upon you, enveloping you completely, and then they recede. Let them. Emotions are only damaging when you try to control or suppress them. If you are feeling sad, cry it out and let it subside. You can only keep feeling the emotion when you feed it. Watch how you feed your emotions with your thoughts. When you stop the thought, the feeling quickly runs its course. Whether you are a Beatles fan or a Frozen fan, choose your mantra: “Let it be” or “Let it go”..

Let It Be Or Let It Go?? That Is The Question..

Ever wonder how to manage your emotions so you don't feel overwhelmed?

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