How are you feeling?

​​​​​How’s your emotional toolbox doing these days?

Are you feeling tapped out?

Does it feel like you’ve got lots in reserves?

Regardless of where you’re at with managing the in’s and out’s of all the emotions that life and love bring your way… I’m here to encourage you to keep expressing.

For better or worse, these last however many months have really forced my family to dig deeper into our ever-evolving emotional toolbox. Even though I’m a therapist by day… I’m still just a mom and wife by night… doing my best to wade through my own stuff and offer support and encouragement to those living under my roof… often messing it up or making it worse by my own reactions.

My kids (and my husband and I) have felt all the feels this past year and we’re working to get better at sharing them instead of stuffing them. It seems very counterintuitive that talking about something more ends up making it feel less, but that’s how feelings work.

It’s quite literally better to express than suppress.

​I know it can feel like it takes more work to bring how you feel to the surface AND actually share it. I also get that it can feel scary to say it aloud and you may have reasons for stuffing your feelings down.

And here I am, encouraging you to work at expressing them… even when it’s hard.

Your body, your heart, your mind… all need your feelings expressed. It’s quite literally a weight off your shoulders. Know that even the simple act of saying your feelings out loud to yourself, or writing them in a journal can have an exponentially positive impact.

Life can be hard, and learning to express instead of suppressing can help to lighten that load just a bit.

You got this… I’m cheering for you.

-A

P.S. If the idea of expressing your feelings sounds beyond overwhelming OR you’re noticing the negative impact of suppressing your feelings for way too long… please reach out for support. That’s what I’m here for.