Free to Feel
Take a moment to close your eyes and think back to a time when you were a small child, to a time when you felt really upset. If you can't recall a specific time, just imagine one. In this memory, how did your small self cope with feeling upset? Did you head to the pantry to grab a snack to numb the pain? Did you head to your room to vigorously clean up your toys, burying yourself in work? Did you pour yourself a stiff glass of kool-aid? How about turn on the tv to mindlessly watch cartoons? Maybe you went on a shopping spree at toys-r-us to help you forget about the upsetting incident? In all likelihood, none of these examples above resonate, because most of us as children, and most kids in general express their emotions and express them in big ways: they cry, they scream, they throw tantrums! And while I was using some humor with those previous examples, that IS how most of us deal with our emotions as adults. In fact, ...