Constructively Dealing with Emotions
These have been trying times in my family. I had not been dealing with them very well at all. At work I was unfocused and constantly agitated. At home I wished that I was somewhere else, or at work. I needed to figure out how to deal with my emotions.
Luckily, a very good friend of mine was working with me the other day. We talked about everything that has been going on in my family. I was frantic to get in touch with my emotions and deal with them so that I could go on with my life and face the sadness that was pounding me into the ground.
My friend was extremely helpful and sympathetic. We talked for quite some time about how I was feeling, what was going on, and ways in which I could deal with everything. It helped just to know that there was someone who was willing to spend a lot of time to help me out.
What helped the most; however, was my friend’s advice:
Write down what you are feeling. Not necessarily to read later. Write your emotions down to organize your thoughts. Writing your emotions down, and organizing them helps to keep you from being overwhelmed by them.
These are not my friend’s exact words, but they are what my friend taught me. It sounds simple. Common sense, right? Nope. Writing down your feelings is not common sense. Musicians know to do it. They let their emotions show in their music. We; however, are not all musicians or poets or writers. Many of us keep our emotions inside. Others, like me, constantly seek others to help out.
Asking for help is good in moderation. I have a feeling that in the past I have smothered others by asking for too much help for things that I should have been learning to deal with myself. My friend has given me a tool to use. This tool is incredibly helpful. After writing down my feelings, a wave of relief came over me. Everything is not right with the world, but I have acknowledged my feelings. They no longer have to fight for my attention.
There are certain people on this earth who are extremely strong, and perceptive. My friend is one of them. Right when I walked into work, my friend knew that something was wrong. If it was not for her ability to understand me, I would never have had that pivotal conversation. I would not have wanted to inconvenience my friend with my problems. Even though she was glad to help me out, I feel guilty. I found out after talking to her that she was going to have a test a couple minutes later. She could have used the time we spoke to study. Instead, my friend helped me out.