If I told you that a three year old knows something about emotional wellness that we, as adults, DON’T…would you believe me? 👀
I sure hope so, because it’s kind of true. Let me explain.
When a child experiences an emotion — shock, anger, confusion, excitement — you won’t have to worry about guessing what it is, because you’ll know.
You will quite literally witness them experiencing the emotion in their bodies.
If they’re happy and joyful, their faces will light up and they’ll bounce up and down in their seats.
If they’re confused, you’ll see their bodies slow down and their eyes dart this way and that, analyzing your face, analyzing the scene.
And if they’re angry (we’ve all seen the dreaded tantrums 😭) they’ll scream and cry, they’ll throw things, they’ll hit, and they’ll thrash their limbs around every which way until they either get what they want or scream long enough to tire themselves out.
In all these scenarios, children are doing something that society has taught us adults not to do: FEEL.
And it’s about time we give ourselves permission to do the same.
…Now, does that mean I’m encouraging people to throw their sippy cups (or, maybe in our case, coffee cups) across the room and scream in the faces of the people we love?
Absolutely not.
But we could ALL benefit from taking a leaf out of our children’s books.
Because when we allow ourselves to experience our emotions – rather than shove them down with substances and Netflix binges and endless Instagram doom scrolling – we learn to listen to the messages that they’re trying to send us.
And when we learn to receive the messages …
We’ll learn to talk things out rather than act things out!
And, through this, become more regulated, more peaceful adults equipped with the tools to navigate life’s challenges.
🎙 In the latest episode of Permission to Thrive — titled “Emotions Are Your Messengers” — my fellow Soul Care Coaches — Maureen Spielman, Joseph Argazzi, and Devon Evans — join me AGAIN (🎉) for the last of our conversations on the topic of emotional healing.
In this jam-packed hour-long convo, we share insights on:
🌀 the negative impacts of EMOTIONAL SUPPRESSION on your mental health,
🌀 what it means to hold space for the information your emotions are trying to COMMUNICATE with you,
🌀 and tips for offering yourself COMPASSION and grace as you navigate your healing journey.
👉 Are you ready to embrace the art of FEELING so you can enjoy some HEALING?
Tune into the episode here.
Listen to Permission to Thrive Podcast
How can I heal from my emotions if I don’t understand them?
Learn the Emotional Messenger System!
In this four-class course for $199, you will be equipped with the tools to:
✅ Calm your “emotional storms” and the “emotional storms” of your children,
✅ Communicate when emotions are running high (such as in the middle of conflict with your partner),
✅ Understand and meet your own unmet needs,
✅ See emotions as building blocks rather than obstacles in your personal relationships,
…& so much more!