We are emotional beings, everyday we come up against things that bring us so much joy and at other times so much sadness. And then there is everything in-between that we feel as well. This is what makes us human ,but it can also bring us a lot suffering as well. Joy and the happiness, that is something that others wish to celebrate with us, something we all wish to share. But when it comes to pain and the suffering, we tend to hide ourselves away.

I know I do, my initial reaction is to run away. I really, feel the need to be alone. You need to listen to what your body is telling you. What your gut is telling you. We are all so deliciously different and the way that I deal with my emotional upheavals may not work for you. So knowing oneself is so important, knowing and listening.

I know that I need the time to sit with myself, and let myself feel the emotions that are arising within me. To give myself time. Time is so important, when we give ourselves time then we accept what we are feeling. We accept that it is okay to feel like this, it is okay to be anger, or sad, to feel hopeless. All of these things are okay.

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Take the time to feel them, to give into them, to cry, to scream, to just let that emotion, that feeling out. Do not try and hold them in. Write about them, sing about them, dance them out. Express them all, until you feel empty. In this way you are also owning your emotions, taking charge of them. We can so easily get lost in a feeling, allow our sadness to drag us down. Being sad is okay, but allowing it to dictate your life is not.

I have such intense moments of sadness since losing my sister.

So I just let myself feel it, I cry and I cry. Even though I know that this sadness will continue, I also know that it will pass. My motto in life has always been to let things flow, to let them flow in and out of my life and that applies to so many different aspects of my life. But especially with my emotions. When I was in my twenties I spend a long time bottling things up, only to deal with them in destructive ways. I nearly lost myself in that part of my life, but then I also found myself too.

All the hardships we go through, they are what shape us into who we are, who we are becoming. Those difficult times, they polish us down, help us shake off the baggage we have been carrying. So that we become lighter, more receptive and more aware. We need to allow our selves to feel, to not let fear take over. But to actually let ourselves be guided by love, by the love and respect that we each should feel for ourselves.

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How we deal with our emotional well being is really a reflection of how we feel about ourselves, about how much faith we have in ourselves. Indeed some people, over time have become worn down by the oppression they have received by others and ultimately by themselves. How can we lift ourselves up, if we do not believe we are capable of doing such a thing, how can we, if we do not believe we deserve to lifted up in the first place. Some people believe that they have earned their sadness and grief so they carry it with them all the time.

But this is not how we flow.

This is my response to the EcoTrain Question Of The Week, put forward by @eco-alex. "How Do You Get Out And Stay Out Of An Emotional Hole?"

• We welcome everyone to join us and post your answer to this question!
• Your answer can be a written post, a video, or any way you wish to express yourself.
• You can post anytime from now until Wednesday 22nd May.

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