Have you ever felt a knot in your stomach before a big decision, a tightness in your chest after an argument, or an unshakable heaviness when you think about a past mistake? These physical sensations aren’t random—they’re your body trying to tell you something.
Our emotions are like messengers, delivering important information about what’s happening beneath the surface. But if you’re like most people, you may not know how to interpret their language. Instead, you might suppress them, ignore them, or try to power through them—only to feel stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed all over again.
Here’s the good news: emotions aren’t your enemies. In fact, they’re one of the most valuable tools you have for growth and clarity. The key is learning how to listen.
The Connection Between Emotions and the Body
Emotions aren’t just abstract feelings; they’re deeply connected to your body. Think about it: when you’re scared, your heart races, and your stomach tightens. When you’re angry, your muscles tense, and your jaw might clench. When you feel shame, you might experience a heavy weight in your chest or a sinking sensation in your gut.
These physical sensations are the body’s way of expressing what words often can’t. And when emotions go unresolved, they don’t just vanish—they linger in the body, creating tension, discomfort, or even chronic patterns of pain and fatigue.
It’s like carrying a backpack full of unprocessed emotions. At first, you might not notice the weight. But over time, it gets heavier, slowing you down and making it harder to move forward. The backpack becomes one of the invisible walls we talked about in the last article—limiting your movement and your potential.
What Are Your Emotions Trying to Say?
Emotions are messengers, and each one carries a unique message about your inner world. Here’s what a few common emotions might be telling you:
- Fear: “I feel unsafe or uncertain about what’s ahead.”
- Anger: “A boundary has been crossed, or something doesn’t feel fair.”
- Shame: “I’m judging myself harshly or feeling unworthy.”
- Guilt: “I’m carrying regret about something I did—or didn’t do.”
While these messages might seem uncomfortable, they’re not meant to hurt you. They’re meant to guide you, pointing to beliefs, memories, or patterns that need your attention. When you learn to listen, you can begin to understand what these emotions are trying to teach you.
Why Suppressing Emotions Keeps You Stuck
For many of us, the natural response to uncomfortable emotions is to suppress them. Maybe you tell yourself, “I’ll deal with this later,” or you distract yourself with work, TV, or scrolling through your phone. While these strategies might offer temporary relief, they don’t resolve the underlying issue. Instead, the emotion remains stuck—like unopened mail piling up on your doorstep.
Over time, this suppression builds more invisible walls. You might feel fine on the surface, but underneath, unresolved emotions are weighing you down, making it harder to access clarity, confidence, and freedom. Suppressing emotions also reinforces the feeling that life is happening to you—as if these emotions are obstacles you have no control over.
But there’s another way. Instead of suppressing your emotions, you can learn to listen to them, understand them, and let them move through you.
A New Way to Approach Emotions
What if, instead of fighting your emotions, you treated them as valuable guides? Here’s a simple, three-step process to start working with your emotions in a new way:
- Notice
Pay attention to where emotions show up in your body. Do you feel a tightness in your chest, a heaviness in your stomach, or tension in your shoulders? These sensations are clues. - Name
Identify the emotion you’re feeling. Is it fear? Anger? Shame? Simply naming the emotion can reduce its intensity and help you see it more clearly. - Nurture
Ask the emotion what it’s trying to tell you. For example:- “What are you protecting me from?”
- “What do you need right now?”
- “What belief is connected to this feeling?”
This process isn’t about “fixing” emotions or making them go away. It’s about creating space for them, understanding their messages, and letting them move through you naturally.
Listening to Your Emotions is Empowerment
When you learn to listen to your emotions, you begin to dismantle the invisible walls they’ve created. You start to see that these emotions aren’t obstacles—they’re stepping stones. They show you where you’ve been stuck and guide you toward the clarity and freedom you’re seeking.
This shift is part of moving from the first stage of empowerment (life happens to me) to the next stage (life happens by me). By engaging with your emotions instead of avoiding them, you reclaim your power to shape your experience.
Your Next Step
Take a moment to reflect on the emotions that show up most often for you. Where do you feel them in your body? What might they be trying to tell you?
Remember, emotions aren’t barriers—they’re bridges. By listening to them, you can begin to move past the invisible walls that have been holding you back.
In the next article, we’ll dive into another key piece of the puzzle: limiting beliefs. These subconscious stories shape how we see ourselves and the world—and they play a major role in why we feel stuck. Stay tuned for insights on how to uncover and shift these beliefs to create a foundation for lasting change.
