5 Ways You Might Be Causing Emotional Pain And Don’t Know It
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You Aren’t Expressing Your Anger
Anger has to go somewhere. More importantly, anger has to be identified for what it truly is- fear and sadness. When you don’t express your anger, it doesn’t just disappear. Anger can often be a toxic and negative energy. Holding back anger without processing it in a healthy way can cause a number of consequences including depression. Talking about it, writing about it, sharing about it in a meeting, or working through it with your therapist will help you get rid of it.
You’re Stuffing Your Emotions
Anger is a feeling as much as it is a choice. Emotions can be invasive and overwhelming, especially when we try to stuff them down and ignore them. Emotional regulation is a critical part of the recovery process. It is essential to take the tools and practices from treatment and apply them to other areas of your life when it comes to expressing your emotions. Too often, emotions which are stuffed down and ignored cause emotional pain which can lead to relapse. An important sentiment to remember is this: feeling your feelings won’t kill you, but drugs and alcohol will.
You Aren’t Being Authentic
Recovery is the hope and freedom of becoming and living your life as who you were meant to be. Chronically intoxicated, sick, and suffering at the hands of drugs and alcohol is not the ultimate destiny for anyone. Recovery is your chance to embrace who you truly are and live authentically as that person. Many people find a false identity in drugs and alcohol. When you start to ignore who you really are, you will feel the effects through emotional and spiritual pain.
You’re Not Processing Trauma
Trauma is hard to process. There is pain, fear, hyperarousal, and a number of other side effects which come with doing the work. Nobody would ever say that processing trauma is easy or even enjoyable. It is, however, effective, and absolutely worth the work. Like holding in your emotions or anger, withholding letting go of trauma can be psychologically damaging and cause depression. There is a way to let go and heal from trauma. By doing the work and letting the process happen, you will learn how.
You’re Having Some Big Thoughts
Recovering from drug and alcohol addiction clears up your mind and opens it to the possibilities of the world. Having come so close to, or perhaps back from death and defeated it, you are full of questions and thoughts about the world. Sometimes, these big thoughts and ideas can become overwhelming. You need only journal and let it go. Remind yourself of who you are, where you are, and what you are doing right now. There is plenty of time to think about the big stuff. For now, focus on staying sober one step at a time.
There is freedom in recovery and everyone is capable of finding it. Our philosophy at Design For Change is that change happens one step at a time. Take the first step in your recovery today by calling us for information on our treatment programs and recovery services at (877) 267-3646.
