Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else, yet you are the one who gets burned – Buddha. Emotional baggage doesn't limit itself to anger; any emotion that was suppressed and unacknowledged becomes baggage of emotions that you may unconsciously carry with you.
Over time, these emotions become part of natural responses, often storing themselves in unexpected body parts. For that reason, in this blog, we explore the surprising ways emotional baggage can break open and ways of dealing with sudden outbursts of emotions.
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Negative Head
Emotional baggage primarily starts with jeopardizing your head. It can be the constant inflow of negative thoughts, regrets, guilt, etc. It can disrupt your focus and decision-making abilities, distort your sleep cycle, and lead to headaches, sickness, and other disturbances.
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Anxious Stomach
Does this happen to you? When something excites you, you start feeling butterflies in your stomach, but in case of unsettling memories, you sense discomfort or feelings of tight knots. This phenomenon is due to the brain-gut connection. When traumatic memories flash in front of your eyes, they may make you anxious and trigger anxiety, which in turn manifests as discomfort in the stomach.
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Heavy Chest
Experiencing the loss of a loved one or going through a breakup can bring intense grief. In such traumatic moments, you may notice your chest tightening or your heartbeat speeding up as your body reacts to suppressed emotions. These baggage of emotions may last for long durations causing a frequent sensation of heaviness on your chest.
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Strained Neck and Shoulders
Shouldering several responsibilities or being dependable support for others can unknowingly burden you with duties in the effort to be an ideal person. The constant efforts to meet expectations can stiffen your neck and shoulders. For instance, when unresolved workplace tasks linger in your mind and turn into emotional baggage, they can quietly affect your well-being.
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Stiff Jaws
Anger is a natural human emotion, often triggered by someone’s doings or unavoidable situations. However, if uncontrolled, anger can boil to become harmful, exceeding a grudge or resentment. Hauling for a longer period can also affect your physical health, such as causing your jaws to clench themselves, thus leading to discomfort or tension.
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Ways to Deal with Emotional Baggage
Suppressing emotional baggage has tremendous side effects on the body parts. However, to deal with the baggage of emotions and prevent them from occurring, you can do the following:
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Introspect
When feeling a negative emotion, it's essential to ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way?” or “What triggered me to get angry, anxious, etc.?” This will keep you alert and prevent you from taking any action or decision influenced by your emotions. This will help you release your thoughts and feelings in a better way and help you reduce your emotional baggage from piling up.
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Meditate
Meditation is an exceptional practice that nourishes mental well-being. Spending 10 to 15 minutes daily on it can sharpen one’s horizons, increase one’s energy, improve one’s attention span, and reduce signs of tension and stress.
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Managing extreme emotions isn't easy; it requires patience. Initially, carrying the baggage of emotions and uncontrolled negative thoughts can overwhelm you. But don’t worry.
Understanding and identifying how your body can store emotional baggage is the primary step towards resolving them — staying in touch with your emotions isn't just a practice but a lifestyle. A mantra for prosperity.