Understanding What Our Emotions Are Trying to Communicate

Many of us were not taught how to manage our emotions in a healthy way much less understand what they are trying to convey.

Have you been told, “you need to sit with your emotions” or even felt challenged or guilty for feeling them? Often, we either intentionally or unintentionally suppress our emotions as a coping mechanism. This, however, leads to unhealthy patterns of behavior because when we try to ignore emotions, we essentially store them, allowing them to build up, then they come out in unwanted ways affecting relationships around us.

      Acknowledging and learning to understand our emotions is vital in the healing process to allow positive change to occur. Instead of feeling challenged or overwhelmed by an emotion, knowing what it is trying to communicate allows us to be able to work with it, not against it. You may think, “So, how do we understand our emotions?” The first steps include identifying what you feel, why you might feel that way, embrace the emotion, and make a plan on how to respond. When we fight our feelings instead of listening to them, the outcome of the situation can become more challenging.

      It may not always feel good to understand what our emotions are communicating, but having awareness in how to work through them can help be a map for our next steps. Below is a breakdown of some common emotions and how to navigate them to better understand what they are trying to communicate.

Loneliness

What it is trying to communicate: a need for connection.

How to navigate: connect with individuals who make you feel seen and heard; sometimes this also means connecting with yourself through self-reflection and doing activities that contribute to your personal growth.

Anger

What it is trying to communicate: built up energy with a purpose when your boundaries are disrespected or your values are challenged.

How to navigate: reflect on what you are truly angry about, what is causing the build up, and focus on a plan to help change the situation.

Fear

What it is trying to communicate: protection from something unfamiliar or what may feel scary.

How to navigate: Remember that unfamiliarity is not always something to be afraid of. Learn to identify the difference between discomfort that leads to growth versus a true threat.

Sadness

What it is trying to communicate: catching up with what occurred.

How to navigate: reflect, pause, and/or process event.

Overthinking

What it is trying to communicate: loss of control leading your mind to search for it during uncertainty.

How to navigate: categorize your thoughts by making a list of what is contributing to you overthinking paired with a possible plan to overcome that thought/event. Trust in your ability to handle it.

      When an uncomfortable or unwanted emotion arises, I encourage you to pause, embrace it, and focus on what it is trying to communicate. It may not always be easy, but having a better understanding and awareness of them will shift your mindset about experiencing them. Self-reflection is a powerful tool when navigating difficult situations. Trust the process.