The first step in understanding your feelings and emotions is to learn how to accept them without judgment, allowing yourself to experience them fully rather than suppressing or denying them, and recognizing that every emotion—whether pleasant or painful—carries a message worth listening to."
Feelings are not facts, but they are signals.
Name the emotion to tame it.
Every emotion is trying to teach you something
All emotions are valid
This can be difficult because many of us have been taught that it’s not OK to feel certain emotions, such as anger or sadness.
However, all emotions are useful and important. Crying for example, is a natural way of letting go of pent up emotions and releasing stress. Not only this but crying actually releases neurotransmitters (like oxytocin & endorphins) that will help push you back to more positive emotions.
Being emotionally aware does not mean dwelling on your feelings, discussing them all the time, or even acting on them, but simply acknowledging, accepting, and processing them as they arise.
Feelings that are not expressed or understood can be very destructive over long periods of time. They can lead to stress and anxiety, as well as health problems including heart disease, insomnia, headaches and digestive disorders. Unresolved grief can lead to what is known as complicated grief which is much more painful and difficult to process than the original pain.
When we hold back our emotions, they become disassociated from us and out of our control. By bringing them into consciousness, we can identify them and direct our behavior more effectively.
Try to let go of the judgments you have about your feelings, and accept them as merely a part of being human. Only then can you begin the process of learning how to manage them in a healthy way.