webadminEmotional baggage is a term used for a collection of negative, unprocessed emotions experienced in the past. It is important to address these emotions as if unattended, they can negatively impact your present life in terms of your friendships, your relationships, your family relations, and of course your professional life.
It’s natural for human beings to have both pleasant and unpleasant experiences in life, but every unpleasant experience leaves a mark on our memory. Overtime, these repeated marks accumulate to cause an emotional baggage, which gets heavier and heavier over time. And, a time comes when this bag is so full that everything spills out, and turns our lives topsy-turvy.
In addition, emotional baggage also prevents us from making healthy lifestyle choices. According to a study by the Norwegian Healthy Life Centre, previous experiences with lifestyle change don’t let people initiate attempts without professional assistance. Further, problems from childhood and/or with family, work and social life issues were found to contribute to emotional baggage. According to respondents, emotional baggage was an important explanation for why they were stuck in old habits and that conversely, being stuck in old habits added load to their already emotional baggage and made it heavier.
Emotional baggage can bother our lives in multiple ways including generating emotions such as regret, guilt, fear, anger, judgment, and/or insecurities. As we move forward in life, these emotions continue to walk along us, until they become so heavy that we are unable to walk ahead, a time when this baggage develops into a mental illness.
In the view of associated complications with emotional baggage, it’s important you take effective measures to address it at the right time. Here are a few ways that can help you immune yourself to emotional baggage.
- Acknowledge
Ups and downs are part of life. Superheroes don’t exist in real life. Sometimes, it’s good to feel weak and vulnerable. Don’t try to suppress your grief. You could try writing a personal journal or talk to your spouse, family or friend to vent out your negative emotions and feel light.
- Take a Break
If you are feeling overtly agitated and frustrated for last few days. Don’t stress you anymore. Give yourself time and space, walk away, go out, and divert your attention from current situation for some time.
- Be Kind to Yourself…Address It
Remember, you are not the only one who is carrying this emotional baggage. Being humans, we all tend to carry one. However, some people carry a bigger one than others depending on their life experiences.
Don’t try to be a superhero by carry this burden all alone. Open up and address the issue by facing your bigger fear. Try relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation to relieve your mind. You can also choose to forgive those who have caused you such a tremendous pain. This can also help you get rid of your emotional baggage.
Most importantly, if these self-help strategies don’t work, you should immediately see an expert who would recommend you effective therapies to overcome your emotional woes. For more information on treatment programs, you can call 24/7 helpline (866) 548-0190. Alternatively, you can chat online with our admission counselor to know more about it.
