Many of us have a default strategy for handling difficult emotions: Wait them out, try to stay busy, or simply push through as best we can.
In the short term, this strategy can work pretty well. Life goes on, the initial intensity of the feeling might fade, and the problem can seem solved.
However, unprocessed emotions usually relocate rather than disappear. They can show up in the body as tension or fatigue and in behavior patterns that are hard to explain and sometimes even harder to change, such as irritability toward others.
Knowing what unprocessed feelings actually do (and why they can hang around) is an important first step toward dealing with them more productively.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These engaging, science-based exercises will help you effectively deal with difficult circumstances and give you tools to improve your resilience.
In the short term, this strategy can work pretty well. Life goes on, the initial intensity of the feeling might fade, and the problem can seem solved.
However, unprocessed emotions usually relocate rather than disappear. They can show up in the body as tension or fatigue and in behavior patterns that are hard to explain and sometimes even harder to change, such as irritability toward others.
Knowing what unprocessed feelings actually do (and why they can hang around) is an important first step toward dealing with them more productively.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These engaging, science-based exercises will help you effectively deal with difficult circumstances and give you tools to improve your resilience.
