Emotional pain refers to any type of stress or pain experienced in the mind. These emotions can stem from a broad range of experiences, including loss, rejection, and disappointment. The pain can lead to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, especially if left untreated. When emotions cause us pain, we cannot really ignore or wish it away. The pain is very real. But, with practice, we can learn to cope with and manage painful emotions.
Here Are Evidence-Based Strategies That Can Help You Cope with Emotional Pain and Work Toward Managing the Daily Stresses of Life Without Letting Painful Emotions Keep You from Living Your Best Life:
Lifestyle Medicine
Despite what you may think, stress is not only caused by big life challenges. Our emotional pain can be a major cause of stress, leading to high blood pressure, ulcers, depression, and other physical ailments. Fortunately, lifestyle medicine can help heal the body the same way it heals the mind. It is a holistic approach that addresses your health, emotionally and physically. Lifestyle medicine promotes overall health and prevents diseases by changing how you live. It focuses on lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity, overeating, smoking, alcohol use, etc., rather than treating chronic diseases once they develop. It emphasizes disease prevention through healthier habits that you can maintain in the long run.
Ditching highly processed foods, not eating too much sugar, going for regular walks, being social, and even indulging in some relaxation with a massage every once in a while (you can search for professionals online by typing in key phrases such as “massage near me in Naperville, IL“, for example), can all help. Your body needs to be supported, and in doing the physical things, it can have a knock-on effect with your emotional issues.
Sense Of Humour
It seems that everyone has been hurt by someone they love, whether by harsh treatment, anger, actions, or indifference. This pain leaves its mark on us and can make even simple tasks difficult. Research supports the use of humour as a management tool. Researchers from the University of Missouri recently found that those who thought positively about their situation were less likely to ruminate on it when people were in pain, which is an example of emotional pain. And they found that those who used humour were less likely to ruminate and more likely to talk about themselves with humour.
Guided Mindfulness
Your brain is a muscle, and like any muscle, it can change. Mindfulness techniques-like meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises-can help strengthen the connections between your brain and your emotional well-being. Anyone can learn mindfulness. Even individuals with chronic pain can learn mindfulness. Mindfulness is awareness of your present moment with no judgment or reaction to your thoughts or feelings. It is about observing these current thoughts, feelings, and sensations without attaching them. If you can learn how to observe your thoughts and feelings, you can let go of them.
Traditional Therapy Approaches
If you suffer from emotional pain, traditional therapy approaches can be an effective way to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. However, it can be a prolonged process to get to the bottom of an issue and going with the traditional route isn’t always the right fit. Psychologists can help by diagnosing your emotional pain, and then identifying evidence-based strategies you can use to help you manage and reduce it.
CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is among the most effective treatments for emotional pain, including depression and stress. It also works well to treat anxiety, phobias, and other mental health problems and has been used to treat addiction as well. CBT is talk therapy with an emphasis on identifying and challenging irrational behaviours and thoughts. It is most often used to treat depression and anxiety but has been proven to be effective in treating many other problems, including addiction.
No matter how big or small the events happen to you or how you react to them, experiencing emotional pain can be a painful, challenging, and frustrating experience. The emotional pain may have started as trauma or come from everyday events, such as seeing someone you love die. These reactions can be both positive and harmful. For example, some people find strength in their ability to face every obstacle, such as facing death. Others, however, find strength in completely denying or denying the existence of their pain, which may result in unhealthy coping methods, such as drug abuse. Ultimately, emotional pain can negatively affect your body, mind, and mood, so it is important for you to learn how to manage it properly.
