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Expressing emotions

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  • #61008
    Little Buddha
    Participant

    I’ve come to a realization that three of my most significant relationships all ended because I wasn’t truly able to express how I feel. I’ve been practicing being so loving, caring, and positive all of my life, that I’ve developed a fear and physical aversion to sadness, anger, frustration, hurt, jealousy, embarrassment, shame, guilt, etc.

    Whenever I feel a negative emotion or my needs are not being met, I simply tell myself, “No, you don’t need to feel this way. You’re suffering, because you desire. Don’t desire. Don’t be such a baby. Just be more loving and the negative emotion will pass.”

    So, what happens? Because I don’t how to express these emotions in a healthy way or express my needs, these emotions simply fester and develop into anxieties, depression, obsessions, avoidance, and resentment creating wedges with people I care about.

    Does anyone have any resources, practices, or recommendations on how to get better at expressing negative emotions in a constructive and healthy way?

    #61013
    Jane
    Participant

    Hi Little Buddha, I too feel and act the same as you do. I wish I could offer strong advice to help you (us) but I’m learning how to overcome this myself : | I have been doing this more though and its been helping me: when I feel the “stuckness” to express what I feel, I try sitting still and really sensor my emotions and as they come up or feel strong I ask myself (kinda of like a second party) “why am I feeling like this? and/or what can I say/do to help me in this situation?” The simply asking yourself has been really helpful to me becuase if you remain neutral without the ego interfering (this is very hard) you may receive a honest answer. Its a practice I try to work on everyday! It’s hard to express when Im hurt cause I fear I’ll appear weak or jealous so nothing is said on my part and I create a wedge like you said and I become passive agressive. Do you do that as well? Do you feel like its your pride that holds you back like your afraid of sounding needy?

    #61031
    @Jasmine-3
    Participant

    Thanks Jane

    Hey Little Buddha

    Lets flip the question around to positive emotions. Do you tell yourself to not feel the positive emotions either ? Positive emotions are also because of desires. Desires that have been fulfilled. Is that suffering too in your definition ? Logic has no end.

    I am not sure about how others deal with their negative emotions but I deal with them head on nowadays as I am more wise now šŸ™‚ Negative emotions arise when our wants have not been fulfilled or when something has not gone the way we wanted it to, yeah ?

    Few years ago, my subconscious brain latched on to a phrase I read somewhere, “every incident, relationship, issue, people etc are here for a reason in my life and they are trying to teach me a lesson so that I can become the better version of whom I am and get closer to where I need to be. It is all happening for my highest good”. Since then, emotions have become easier to deal with – both positive and negative. Mind doesn’t get as disturbed as it used to.

    I look for the lesson. If I find it, great. I move on and incorporate the lesson into my life. If I cant find the lesson, I let the issue go to junk folder of my subconscious brain and press the mental delete button. All this takes practice. No running away. Sitting down and having a ME chat in nature somewhere is how I tackle this process.

    Meditation daily has been another tool that has worked well for me – it is the ultimate charger and gets rid of negativity in seconds. I am also more aware of my triggers such as stress, lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of exercise etc. So I take a pro-active approach most days in MANAGING MYSELF and do not let stress build up in subtle forms.

    Lastly, I make it a conscious effort nowadays to accept everyone as they are WITHOUT any questions asked (sometimes, I slip but most days are good). If someone is being a dick, good for him and if someone is being an angel, good for her. I am ME and I practice being ME in all circumstances. This has taken the longest to practice. I used to be quite a critical and judgmental person and I think it stemmed from being a perfectionist in my own mind. So if someone didn’t match up to my standards, I would pass judgments left, right and centre. Since I have let go of the need to be a judge, life has been soooooo awesome that I cant explain to you. Everyone is awesome šŸ™‚ Sometimes, people need that reminder in a gentle manner and sometimes kick-in-the-pants style LOL.

    Hope this helps Little Buddha. Keep shining your bright light mate. YOU ARE AWESOMEEEEEEEE

    J

    #61036
    Little Buddha
    Participant

    Thank you both for all your kind words and insights. I’ll try and take them to heart.

    Funny enough, I also tell myself not to feel positive emotions. When I’ve done something wrong or feel ashamed of, it’s hard for me to feel good about anything because I feel like I don’t deserve to. “Somewhere, out there, someone is suffering because of something you did or didn’t do and here you are laughing and having fun! No! That’s very mean and insensitive. You have not payed enough for your sin and need a little bit more punishment.”

    Wow, just writing that makes me realize how sick and twisted that logic is. Where the hell does this come from?

    I’ll hide negative feelings and needs because I don’t want to be perceived as childish, needy, foolish, weak, overly sensitive, superficial, stupid, cowardly, selfish, disorganized, unmanly, or dependent. These are my biggest shame triggers and once they’re triggered, BAM! I recede and isolate and the barrage of slings and arrows of my mind begins anew.

    As much as I really don’t want to be, I think I’m also very judgmental and critical of other people. They’re horrible superficial judgements that prevent me from really connecting with people in the kind of way that I would like – real meaningful, long lasting friendships, interdependent support, and unconditional love.

    Jealousy is perhaps my biggest vice, especially when I’m feeling down – everyone is a better friend, a better partner, a better employee, a better sibling, a better citizen, a better conversationalist, a better [insert any aspect of life here]. I try to accept everyone for who they are, admire them, love them, learn from them, and constantly tell myself to do so, but I think I sometimes harbor resentment towards them as well. “How the hell do they do it? What am I doing that they’re not? How can I be more like them?”

    I think I’m a bit of a perfectionist, which prevents me from starting and finishing things and perhaps ending relationships and projects prematurely because I feel they’re too hard – I panic, I get anxious, I get bored, I don’t think straight, I get impulsive, I lose my filter and I fall into a shame spiral that’s really hard to come out of. Most recently, the anxiety and depression were so deep, I lost sight of all the beauty of the world around me, including my girlfriend at the time.

    I say I’m a learner and that I learn from my mistakes, but I don’t think I really am. I keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again using the only pattern of behaviour and reaction I know. A mental delete button would be the greatest thing in the world! Then I wouldn’t have to walk up and down these streets reliving every single experience I’ve ever had wasting so much mental energy thinking and remembering.

    My parents growing up were always so proud of me when I was the best and I wanted to be the best at what I do. Life many times over is showing me that I’m not actually as smart as I think I am nor am I as good as a person as I want to be. If I’m learning anything, it’s that I need to show more and more humility to the world.

    Somethings gotta change, but I’m not sure how to bring about that change. Do I need to move to another city? Get new friends? Get a new job? Find a new calling or purpose in life? Get a new hobby? All of these things seem external to me and I keep reading that happiness comes from within. I just need to find it.

    I will continue to meditate, open my heart to the world, wishing us all the happiness, health, and inner peace we all deserve.

    Peace Jasime and Jane! You are AWESOMEEE TOO! šŸ™‚

    #61038
    Matt
    Participant

    Little Buddha,

    Lots of interesting questions, and any of those paths may help you find what you’re looking for. My advice, stop pushing. When happy, be happy. When sad, be sad. Hungry, eat. Why the fuss? Just emotions, blowing in and out.

    With warmth,
    Matt

    #61097
    @Jasmine-3
    Participant

    Thanks Matt. Excellent insight as always.

    Helllllllooooooooooooo Little Awesome Buddha

    “Somethings gotta change, but Iā€™m not sure how to bring about that change. Do I need to move to another city? Get new friends? Get a new job? Find a new calling or purpose in life? Get a new hobby? All of these things seem external to me and I keep reading that happiness comes from within. I just need to find it”

    Again, I will share my story and I will try and help you in forming a plan for yourself moving foward. Hey, I only believe in moving forward so you have a choice to join me on the journey or you can keep asking the questions lol.

    I have done all the changing of cities, changing of specialities, changing of friends, changing of houses etc in the hope that my suffering would end but guess what…..suffering followed me in a different disguise with the new changes. When I realised that the changing of external environment was not leading to my happiness, I started on the inward journey.

    Now, I am going to share my priceless lessons with you. Print them out mate for future šŸ˜‰

    I started with a prayer. Prayer to self. Please help me and guide me so that I can begin an inward journey. Give me all the help that I need to keep me in the right direction. Give me only that much help that I can assimilate at that time and as I grow, I can have more. Let me learn the lessons that I have chosen for myself. Help me let go. FULL STOP.

    Tailor-made plan for you, my dear friend:

    1. If you have realised that you need to change and you have had enough of your life events to date, learn to take an action and tell your mind that you are in action mode. No more excuses. No more running away. Head on like sumo wrestlers and the winner is going to be YOU and not your mind.

    2. Start with baby steps and learn to be kind to yourself if you fail to achieve those goals. Try again in a different style.

    3. Your issues stem from childhood and beyond. Let go of your resentment for Dad. Forgive him and realise that he has done the best he could for you. He didnt know any better and still doesnt. Parents do the best for us in their capacities. They are NOT going to change. So let go. Forgive them and feel your heart filling up with love for dad. Then move to mother and other siblings. FULL STOP. No more blaming family for your miseries, no more seeking forgiveness for them as you have already let go now, no more putting them down from today onwards etc. YOU WILL ONLY GIVE THEM LOVE FROM NOW ON.

    4. Now moving to Little Buddha – remember all the incidents from you childhood, which brought out the worst in you such as fear, self-doubt, resentment, anger etc. One by one, let go of the incident. See Little buddha having a positive experience instead of a negative experience in that incident. LET GOOOOOOO one by one. If you need to write it down, do so and then burn those incidents away. Visualise them burning away for good. Aaah, what a relief. FULL STOP. No more blame, no more fear.

    5. Now move on to your immediate love interests or kids – ex-wife, serious GFs, kids etc. Repeat the same process as you did for your birth family. Now, You are only going to give LOVE to them whenever you meet them.

    5. Once you have done above (which will take few days to a few weeks depending on your level of commitment and passion for change), I will share my other tips with you if YOU WANT. Until you become a clean slate, starting an inward journey for good is gonna be very hard. You will keep yo yoing around.

    Best wishes my friend. Life is unfolding beautifully for you

    Jasmine

    #61106
    Jane
    Participant

    wow wow thanks for that Jasmine. Ive printed that out as you should to Little Buddha! : ) Thats some good stuff.

    #61114
    The Ruminant
    Participant

    Hello all,

    I’ll offer a bit of my own story as an example and how things have turned out for me. It might not seem to answer the original question, but since there has been discussion about codependency and holding back feelings, I think it might be appropriate.

    I grew up being very codependent, and other people’s needs were much more important to me than my own. I don’t think I even understood my own needs. I was just focused on trying to keep everything peaceful and safe; if other people would feel good, then I would feel good. So I handled myself through handling other people. I did so through subtle emotional manipulation. Of course, I didn’t see it as manipulation, but that’s what it was. To me it was just business as usual.

    A few years ago I met someone who started to point out to me the reality of my modus operandi. I had heard before that the codependent way of dealing was actually manipulation, but I discarded the idea, as it was too difficult for me to accept. That me, who was always so worried about other people, would actually be doing something wrong? Anyway, occasionally, he would point out to me that I was trying to make him feel or do something with subtle ways. To me it was just normal way of behaving, so it felt weird to see it from another perspective. He told me that if I needed something, or wanted to discuss something, then all I had to do was say so. It should be common sense, but for me it felt like the most groundbreaking idea šŸ™‚ That I should actually directly say what I wanted?

    After this I started to be more aware of my behaviour patterns. It was actually quite horrible, because I noticed that every time I opened my mouth and words came out, I was manipulative. I said things that I thought the other person would want to hear, or that would make them do something or feel something. When I tried to examine what it was that I myself actually wanted or needed, I had no idea. I couldn’t comprehend such simple task.

    My relationship to this person broke down and that was the catalyst to my recovery. It was too much to take that my lifelong behaviour patterns would’ve cost me someone so precious. It has now been around 2,5 years of work, setbacks and breakthroughs.

    What Matt is saying sounds incredibly simple, but that is exactly what I have been trying to practice. If you want something, ask. The other person might say “no”, or they might say “yes”. I have to say though, the feeling that you get from expressing your desires honestly and then getting a “yes”, without any manipulation, is such a rush. It’s amazing. Interestingly, getting a “no” is much easier to handle now than when it was when I wasn’t communicating honestly. It doesn’t crush me. It’s so simple now. You ask for something, if you don’t get it, then fair enough. Then you can move on and you don’t have to keep wondering if you should’ve said it in a different way or in a different time.

    I’m aware that I still might have ways of dealing with things that aren’t straightforward. I’m aware of my possible unawareness, let’s put it that way. Which is why I have asked people to tell me if they perceive something that I can’t see, and which is why I have a tendency to point out something I see in others, even if it’s something they might not want to hear.

    I danced around other people my whole life and I was joined by other similar people who danced around me. Looking back at it now, life was horrible. Now, when something arises in me, I acknowledge it, accept it and then deal with it accordingly. Who I truly am is now connecting in an authentic way with the world around me, and it’s like life has colours now. Even the simplest things feel so vivid, because I connect with them directly, without any buffers or filters. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I hope that same for others. It takes time, it’s not easy, and I don’t think I’m fully there yet, but it has been all worth it. I’m actually alive now. A wholly recommended experience šŸ™‚

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by The Ruminant.
    #61141
    Little Buddha
    Participant

    Thanks so much Ruminant. I’m so glad to hear that there is a bright and positive future for those of who are not able to speak honestly and directly about our feelings and unconsciously manipulate people.

    Feelings of shame arise from that knowledge, but I’ll continue searching for ways on how I might become a more authentic and whole person.

    #61142
    The Ruminant
    Participant

    Why be ashamed of something that is unconscious? We all do the best that we can with what we’ve got. Sometimes we are lacking tools, sometimes just too afraid or sometimes really just lack the understanding that something is happening.

    Accepting past mistakes does require humility, but there is no reason to take on shame.

    #61145
    Little Buddha
    Participant

    I agree. I don’t know where these feelings of shame come from, but they’re paralyzing and then spiral out of control as the problems get worse and worse and worse.

    This book has really helped me better understand my shame triggers and the reactions that I have: http://www.amazon.com/Thought-Was-Just-but-isnt/dp/1592403352

    @@Jasmine-3 If you have any more tips, please do send them.

    #61179
    @Jasmine-3
    Participant

    Hey Awesome Little Buddha. More tips will only make sense if you are able to work on the tips that I have already offered.

    If your glass is only half empty and I have already filled it up with relevant amount of information, anything more is only going to overflow, which will be a waste – both for yourself and myself.

    Work on the issue with Dad first and I assure you things will be better. If need be, talk to dad and see if he can tell you the reason for your current state and how to come out of it etc.

    Blessings

    Jasmine

    #61214
    Dain Supero
    Participant

    Little Buddha, there’s already some great advice here to be followed, especially from Jasmine-3, so I will keep my words brief.

    Remember that “sadness, anger, frustration, hurt, jealousy, embarrassment, shame, guilt” and similar feelings are not things to be feared but to be overcome. We fear most what we do not know. It follows that becoming familiar with something is the surest way to overcome it. It follows also that embracing something is the surest way to become familiar with it.

    Do not run from your emotions. Allow them to enter your mind, and then observe them. “I feel angry, and that is normal. I acknowledge that I’m angry, but I acknowledge also that I have the strength not to act on it.” Once you become an observer of your thoughts rather than an emotional participant in them, they begin to lose their hold on you.

    Do not run away from yourself. Know and embrace yourself.

    #61235
    Little Buddha
    Participant

    Thank you Dain. I would like to create some distance between myself and feelings of anxiety and shame. They’re really holding me back from being my true self and connecting with others.

    @@Jasmine-3 You’re right. My glass is pretty full already. I think I need to develop some patience in terms of healing from this most recent setback. As for my Dad, yes, I used to be ashamed of him at times and feelings of resentment used to come up as to why he wasn’t able to be the role model I needed to teach me about what it means to be a man. At the same time, I also recognize that I was a very stubborn child; turning away from him because he was an immigrant with a thick accent, worked long hours away from home, and smoked like a chimney – not as cool as other fathers. But today, I hold nothing against my parents. I have forgiven them completely and they have been amazingly supportive through my troubles. Today, my father is most gentle, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, funny man I know. Hell bent on self-improvement he works hard, spend lots of time with family, supports his community, exercises, and eats well. If I grow up to be half the man he is today, I will be very happy.

    #61238
    @Jasmine-3
    Participant

    Thanks Dain

    Hey Awesome Little Buddha @therock

    Thanks for sharing a little about Dad. And it is funny that you have sort of provided your own answer. Forgiving and letting go of painful incidents are 2 different things.

    I can forgive anyone I feel like but have I actually let go of the issue from my core, from my subconscious. When I meditated on your issues in the past, it appeared like you are really trying very hard to hold on to all the negativity. And by your most recent post, you have sort of confirmed that for me. I am not sure why you would do that. I am not so evolved to have that answer yet hehehe.

    I will offer prayers for you and I hope my prayers will do the trick for you and find you the right support that you need.

    Can you try and read your last post again and see what I mean by that you have provided your own answer.

    Best wishes,

    Jasmine

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