It’s been a crazy past few weeks and it’s taken a-lot of steam out of many of us. In times like these, our emotions can feel overwhelming, so I decided to focus this episode on a few ways you can do something as simple as writing to help express and process those tricky emotions when they come up.

Now I am going to present these as journaling techniques but for those of you who are not into journaling, it’s totally fine, this can literally be done by just putting pen to paper of any kind- and you’ll still get the benefit out of it.

There are quite a few but I wanted to share the most powerful ones: do keep in mind, these are simple techniques so although they may sound corny, they are surprisingly helpful especially when it comes to accessing more suppressed emotions. 

1. Stream of Consciousness Writing

To set this up, all you need to do is set a timer (e.g., 10-15 minutes) and just start writing continuously without censoring yourself. It will feel a bit weird in the beginning but all you need to do is let your thoughts flow freely onto the page (resist the urge to think about it at ALL) just concentrate on writing whatever comes to mind without worrying about structure, grammar, or coherence.

This technique allows you to explore raw emotions without overthinking or judgment. It often brings subconscious feelings to the surface, providing clarity and a sense of emotional release.

Helpful Prompts: "What am I feeling right now?" or "If my emotions could speak, what would they say?"

This gives your subconscious mind the freedom to express and download info about how you’re feeling - that you may not even be aware of. The benefit of this exercise is to dig deep and access your true emotions. Once you are aware of what they are, you can let them surface and ride them out. 

2. Dialogue Journaling

Write a conversation between yourself and your emotion. I know it sounds kind of silly but it actually works. For example, if you're feeling anxious, you might write out a dialogue between "You" and "Anxiety." 

Helpful Prompts: “why are you showing up today?” 

With this technique you are personifying your emotions, making it easier to understand their origins and what they might need from you. Engaging in a "conversation" can also help reduce the intensity of challenging emotions by allowing you to empathize more fully with them.

By starting this dialogue, you’re able to help yourself answer the questions that may not be coming up for you in real time. Just another way to let yourself tell you what’s going on even when it may be difficult to identify in the moment. 

3. Emotional Mapping

This is where you create an "emotional map" where you identify specific emotions you've felt throughout the day or week. Next to each emotion, write what triggered it and how you responded.

Mapping emotions helps you identify patterns in your emotional responses and understand what triggers certain feelings. So for example, if you feel anxiety and start to see that you often respond with frustration - you can think of ways to acknowledge your anxiety as valid and in that acceptance create a more balanced way of reacting to it. 

Helpful Prompts:  "What emotions have I felt today, and what caused each one?"

4. Reframing with Gratitude and Self-Compassion   

This goes back to what we talk about a lot - how life’s challenges offer us those unique opportunities to learn. 

This is where you write about a difficult emotion and try to reframe it by finding one positive or constructive lesson it might offer. Follow up with a note of gratitude or self-compassion.

Reframing helps shift your perspective on difficult emotions, allowing you to see them as part of a bigger picture - and a learning experience rather than just obstacles. This technique also helps nurture self-acceptance and reduce self-criticism.

Helpful Prompts: "What can I learn from this feeling?" or "What’s one kind thing I can say to myself about feeling this way?"

What I love about this one is that it helps us take ownership around how we feel. For those of you who learned how to truly access your emotions later in life -  acknowledging and accepting them without judgment allows you to have compassion for whatever comes up. 

As simple as that sounds, It’s actually a significant step toward emotional maturity - which is having agency over how you feel so you can manage your internal well being under any given situation with greater ease and grace. It’s really the greatest gift you can give yourself. An important form of self care, we rarely talk about.

Each of these techniques can help you process emotions from a place of understanding and empathy, allowing you to work through them constructively rather than pushing them aside.

Now the last exercise I will share - kind of a bonus - is a good one when there is another person involved and you need to work through difficult emotions around a relationship of any kind that may feel hard to navigate. 

I have used this one a bunch in my life and it is surprisingly helpful to help me better understand how I’m feeling - especially when preparing to talk with someone about a topic that feels exceptionally challenging. That is.. 

5. Writing Letters for Closure or Forgiveness

For this one you write a letter to a person involved in the experience, or even to yourself, expressing everything you feel. You don’t have to send the letter; it’s a safe space to articulate complex feelings, seek closure, or offer forgiveness. For some the letter may never see the light of day (which is fine) but for others, it may be a good way to get it all out and determine how you may want to articulate it in person.

Writing letters allows you to process emotions like anger, sadness, or regret. It gives you a way to release pent-up feelings, understand your perspective better, and if needed, find forgiveness or closure from yourself or others.

Helpful Prompts: "Dear [Person/Self], here’s what I need to say..." or "I forgive you for...XYZ.

All in all, these are just simple ways to get your emotions up and out onto paper. As I’ve mentioned before, we carry our emotions physically in our bodies and YES… “our issues are literally in our tissues” - so in order to stay healthy, you must start becoming better acquainted with your emotions so you can handle any situation life throws your way. 

Success comes with practice and In times like these, we need all the help we can get to become stewards of our physical as well as our emotional well being. 

To stay in the game of life fully engaged, energized and ready to receive all the good things we deserve.