Learn To Breathe When Emotions Overtake You

Emotions are like compasses that guide us, propelling us to action in most cases (not all; remember, for example, that fear can have a crippling effect). But what happens when we let emotions take over, with all their energy, without any control? In the first place, we are more likely to take action too much, something that can influence our self-esteem, especially the security we have in ourselves.

Achieving emotional balance is a process that takes practice and training. Imagine that you need to ride a rollercoaster every day to feel discharged and motivated. While emotional intensity may suit you at the time, it’s possible that you’ll end up worn out from so many emotional ups and downs. Not only that, you’re more likely to end up disoriented and call into question every project in your life.

Why do emotions get over you?

Do you need to express emotions intensely to feel that you are alive? Emotional outburst is often associated with dramatization or exaggeration. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Maybe you need to feel emotions and express them with great intensity, maybe it’s your way of showing what you feel and/or maybe you don’t know how to do it any other way.

Emotional intensity is also related to people who are highly sensitive, with a lot of empathy and the ability to put themselves in the shoes of others. People who are severely affected by anything may feel guilty or demand too much of themselves. Remember, it’s not easy to manage the very emotion that comes from feeling overwhelmed by emotions all the time.

Emotions are like waves, coming and going

All emotions are valid and necessary for your development: they all have an adaptive function. There are no good or bad emotions, and there are no ways to feel better or worse. It’s important to allow yourself to feel all the emotions, finding a way to make them easier to carry.

Every emotion, no matter how intense, will eventually go away if you let it flow. Emotions are like waves, coming and going, but it ‘s important not to get carried away by them. Don’t let them flood you, and for that, try to find the healthiest way to express them.

Breathing is the basis for your emotions to change

Breathing is the pillar that supports all our emotions. Depending on how we breathe, we will feel the emotion with one intensity or another, and this can even condition the type of emotion that predominates in us. For example, if you breathe more rapidly and more rapidly, you may be connecting with anguish, anxiety, or anger. However, you can pause your breathing and concentrate on expelling more air than enters your nostrils, and you will certainly be able to calm down.

The anxiety, fear, stress you feel can cause shortness of breath or rapid, shallow breathing. On the other hand, breathing more slowly helps your body stay in a more relaxed state.

Learn to breathe when emotions flood your body

To learn to breathe the emotions that go beyond, you will first need to:

Identify your physical sensations

Notice if you are feeling a lump in your throat, a ball in your stomach, a tickling sensation in your back…

Notice what basic emotion exists behind your physical sensation.

We have 4 basic emotions that arise behind any bodily sensation we experience. Naming what you feel will help make sense of your experience.

Breathe the emotion and express it

Make room for emotion in all its intensity, don’t try to control your emotions. Control will take you to emotional breathing. If you can just breathe, you are already administering it differently.

If you’re upset, cool off

Instead of building up and then expressing your anger like a bomb on others, you can wait for the emotion to cool down and then look for a more assertive way to express what you feel.

If you still need to let go of your anger so it doesn’t get over you, you can look for a way to channel it without hurting yourself. For example, a pillow, a towel to wring out, a plastic bottle that you can crumple always thinking about what irritates you, the more accurate you are to express the emotion, the better. It is about releasing the physical energy that contains the emotion.

A practical exercise to work your breathing and emotions

Breathing out (letting the air out slowly) is what is associated with relaxation. In contrast, inspiration (letting in air) is more associated with stress or anxiety. On the other hand, remember that learning to breathe calmly takes daily practice. We can divide this practice into five steps:

• Breathe normally through your nose with your mouth closed.
• Let the air out slowly through your nose with your mouth closed.
• As you let the air out, mentally repeat the word “calm” or “relaxed” (or any other word that is relaxing for you) very slowly.
• Slowly count to four and then inhale again.
• Practice this exercise several times a day, taking 10 to 15 breaths at a time.

The more you practice your breathing, the easier it will be to manage your emotions instead of them taking over or overcoming you. Emotional balance is directly related to learning to use your emotions to communicate with yourself and others in a healthy way.