And how do we learn to feel again?
Healing. It’s a word that’s grown big in my life. One that’s become part of my vocabulary and shaped my existence. Over the past year and a half, I set on a deeply personal path of healing. What’s unfolded since has been nothing short of unimaginable (for me anyway).
I’ve quit drinking alcohol, embraced daily meditation (twice a day, no less!), and made yoga a part of my morning ritual. If someone had told me two years ago that this would be my reality, I’d have told them to fuck off.
And yet, here I am.
I’m not here to talk about what healing is for you, I am here to share what my healing journey so far looks like and hope it inspires you to connect with your journey.
Healing takes many forms: You can go to therapy, exercise, meditate, be creative, or even just take a walk in nature.
But all these different forms of healing lead you to the same fundamental end point.
To get in touch with your feelings.
To let your feelings out of the prison we have built around them, of which we hold the key to unlock.
At some point growing up I thought I forgot the ability to isolate my feelings. Or so I thought…
Things got all too overwhelming and I started to repress big feelings.
What does it mean to repress big feelings?
Repression is a defensive mechanism we humans have adopted for survival purposes throughout our evolutionary journey. By repressing overwhelming emotions or traumatic experiences, we can avoid becoming paralysed by fear, grief, or pain, which would hinder our ability to respond to immediate threats or challenges.
This sounds like a pretty great addition right? Well…
Repressed emotions, while serving as a temporary coping mechanism, can lead to a range of long-term psychological, emotional, and physical effects.
Such as: Anxiety & Depression, Memory Distortion, Increased Stress, Weakened immune system, Heart Disease, Somatic Symptoms…
To name a few.
So, repressing our feelings is not a good idea long term. What do we do then?
FEEL YOUR FEELINGS
How the fuck do we do that?
Let’s go back in time, to a younger Sammy…
When I was three years old I started Ballet classes. I can’t share enough how deeply grateful I am for having started dance classes so early on. Aside from it making me feel pretty, it allowed me to connect with my feelings.. Through the art of movement, I learned to listen to the subtle whispers of my feelings and let them guide my body, sculpting fluid, expressive shapes that told stories beyond words.
For the next fourteen years I was in flow, everything that I was going through was processed during those dance classes, and with each performance.
But then I stopped.
I ended up committing myself to another sport: Horse riding, show jumping to be specific but that’s a story for another day.
The point is since I stopped dancing – I missed it. My body missed it.
Today I know why it was so impactful adding Yoga to my morning ritual, sure it’s not dancing but it allows me to start the day with a mindset that is fluid, not strict..
It is important to begin the journey of tapping into our feelings from a place of curious detachment.
(I think we’ve all become a little too fearful when our emotions stir up, specially those we deem negative)
Feeling our emotions fully and not repressing them requires both awareness and practice. It’s a process of learning to be present with ourselves, without judgment, and without running away from what arises in our minds and bodies.
- Allow yourself to feel without judgement, this is where you need to learn to LET GO of SHAME. Remember that your emotions are valid, if you’re feeling them they are real – don’t try to talk yourself out of them.
- Breath deep, try to move your breath to all the beautiful corners of your body.
- Practice Emotional Expression. Talk to someone you trust. Paint, write – do something CREATIVE (even if it’s just for 5 mins)
Often, we rush through life, ignoring the subtle messages our bodies send us, or we suppress emotions that make us uncomfortable. But learning to be present with ourselves is where the magic starts to happen, and by magic I mean feeling.
If you think about it, the fact that we are beings that feel is fucking magical. We have just learned to stop seeing ourselves as magical beings.
I invite you to sit with yourself, take a couple of deep breaths and some time to hear what your body has to tell you, don’t be afraid, write it down.
As I reflect on my healing journey so far, I can’t say that I feel that different, but the truth is I am different. I act more from my heart than my head, I listen more with my heart than I do my ears.
The goal is to live as authentically as possible, and my healing journey is doing just that.
I know it is going to sound cliche, but it’s really not about the destination but a continuous journey. The process of tuning into our bodies, listening to our hearts, and allowing our emotions to flow freely.
The more we learn to feel, the more we open ourselves to healing, growth, and the deep beauty that comes from being fully present in our own lives.
I can finally say that I am beginning to trust in myself, to trust my feelings, and to trust that whatever happens I have the tools to get me out the other side.
When we start healing, we can begin to do what we came here on Earth to do – ENJOY LIFE.