The Importance of Expression
I want to talk about outward expression and the role it plays in our mental and emotional health. After years spent suppressing my expression, I’ve finally realized how crucial it is to the health of our being to be able to express freely. We are creative beings. The cycle of creation is a cycle flowing through us at all times, a cycle we can’t stop even if we wanted to. And in our world, creation is born through the act of expression.
When we think a thought or feel a feeling, these are just the inner phases of our creative cycle. For our own health, we must help our creative being complete the cycle of creation, whatever it is we are creating. The cycle is complete within our being once it has manifested on all levels, spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. When we are feeling an emotion, take anger for example, if we do not complete the cycle of creation, we get stuck on the level of emotion and thought until we complete the cycle and bring it into the physical. Whether it be a yell, a dance, a cry, a punch or even a beautiful work of art, these are all physical expressions of our thoughts and emotions. If we do not allow ourselves to transfer those inner phases through to the physical, they will get stuck in our bodies. Those thoughts and emotions will stay there until we allow them to move. This is where we can find ourselves expressing in ways that don’t align with who we are at our core, ways that can hurt others, or ourselves, eventually manifesting as disease or physical ailments. All of this simply because we are not used to the process of allowing ourselves to express.
If you ever find yourself acting in a way that doesn’t make sense with who you deeply know yourself to be, know that there is a way to shift and transmute those inner phases of creation into something more intentional. There are ways you can get to know yourself enough to shape your expression in a different way. To have a level of control that guides it rather than attempts to suppress it. So what are some steps to helping this stuck expression flow into a different way of being? Here are some actions that can help complete this cycle of creation within us.
1) Forgive yourself. It may seem strange, but we must forgive ourselves for the ways we have unintentionally expressed in the past. If we’ve hurt others, or unknowingly sabotaged ourselves in one of those moments, we must forgive that version of ourselves. We are constantly learning and we could not have known better in that moment.
2) Get to know your emotions and emotional triggers. Most people seem to get stuck on their creative cycle at the emotional stage, and so that is the stage that suppression control tactics can kick in. Start taking stock, noticing your moods and when they begin to shift. Throughout the day ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” If triggered, ask, “What just happened that brought this emotion to the forefront of my mind?” Be honest with yourself and let it be what it is without judgement.
3) Start feeling into and noticing what those emotions make you want to do. When you feel these emotions, do they make you want to sing at the top of your lungs? Do they make you want to run as fast as you can? Do they make you want to burst into tears? Whatever it is, pay attention and take note.
4) Find a safe space or save it for intentional expression when you can. Sometimes we don’t have the space to let things out, and that’s okay, it’s just a part of life. If you are able to step away and find a safe space to let out that screech of frustration or excitement, go for it! If you aren’t, acknowledge your emotion and remember to set aside time when you are in a safe space to release what you’re temporarily holding onto. Revisit that emotion while you take time to create an art piece, while you’re on a run, etc. Somatic movement is a great way to transmute stored emotion into the physical.
Now just because this list is short, doesn’t necessarily mean any of this is easy. It takes time and intentional practice of observing yourself. And unfortunately, there is no real way to tell how much emotion you may have stored in your body. All you need to know is how you can best move it through your body. This is a life long practice that is a part of our natural cycle as humans. I can promise you this, just like everything else, with practice comes more peace and fulfillment.