How to Deal With Painful Emotions

Everyone struggles to deal with painful emotions.

People deal with a wide variety of emotions and feelings throughout their lives. Learning to cope with these emotions, especially painful ones, is a life-long process. Regardless of how strong a person is, there comes a time when dealing with painful emotions becomes unbearable; everyone processes hurt and hardship differently. However, there are certain techniques for dealing with pain and sadness that are effective.

Instructions

1. Identify the cause of the painful emotions. Before you can deal with any emotional hurt you have, you must first identify the cause of that hurt.

2. Resolve the problem or accept the situation. In some cases, a situation can be resolved, for example, a fight between friends. If the situation can be resolved, it should be. In cases of death or separation, you must learn to accept that there is nothing you can do to change the situation. This will help you deal with the hurt more effectively.

3. Don't bottle up your emotions. Allow yourself to feel the hurt with which you are dealing. Attempting to suppress these emotions will only cause yourself greater hurt in the long run. It's better to cry or be angry as needed.

4. Seek support from family and friends. Do not isolate yourself. It is very important to find support and help from those closest to you when dealing with painful emotions. Dealing with these emotions alone can make you more susceptible to clinical depression.

5. Know when to seek professional help. There are times when typical coping mechanisms do not work. A professional counselor is trained to help people cope with their issues and emotions. In addition, medication can be helpful as long as it is administered by a medical professional.

References

• Inner Bonding; How to Manage Painful Emotions; Dr. Margaret Paul; December 2006
• The Wellbeing Coach: Dealing with Painful Feelings

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish