Her post captured my attention.

She’s usually so friendly and informative. But the tone of this post was frantic.

She described her emotional pain because of a situation that recently occurred in her life.

She told her readers to be patient and understanding as she took the time she needed to work through this.

She said her husband and young child were alive and well, just in case anyone was wondering.

And that was it.

It’s not like we’re personal friends, so I couldn’t call to check on her. It’s not like we’re even acquaintances, so it’s highly likely that she doesn’t even know that I exist.

So why did the emotion and pace of her message stick with me?

Why, hours later, was I embodying the pain of a woman I barely knew.

This is the potential impact of social media and being virtually connected with everyone in the world.

It’s a one sided mirror that is enables you a mere glance into someone else’s life and leaves you wondering, with plenty of unanswered questions.

I had no idea what was going on in that woman’s life. Yet, I was willingly embracing her and whatever pain she was currently experiencing.

After pausing to say a quick prayer for her and whatever she might be going through, I knew that I needed to let it go; to release the thought, the emotion, the questions that may never be answered or addressed again.

This wasn’t my pain and treating it as such would make it my burden to bear.

I needed to let it go. To move on. To guard my heart

Of course I decided to write and offer you the chance to think about the pain, sadness and drama you’re holding onto.

Have you unconsciously taken pain-filled responsibility for others based on a passing word, look or assumption? Have you become emotionally attached to things that have no benefit or consequence to your life? What do you need to let go of and free yourself from? 

I do believe there’s always room for empathy, and we should definitely be compassionate towards others and what they’re going through. But we must be intentionally aware of what we’re doing with our emotions and practice actively shifting our energy in a positive direction.

Holding onto emotions can cause physical – chemical and cellular – changes within our bodies.

Holding onto emotions can cause you to immerse yourself in your own toxic thoughts.

Holding onto emotions can leave you feeling spiritually disconnected and discouraged.

So instead of embodying all of your interactions, you can begin to detox your emotions.

You can detox your emotions by first, determining the source of the thought or feeling you’re experiencing.

Then, ask yourself the following questions.

• Is the emotion rational, real or valid? and
• Is the emotion adjustable? How?

This exercise can help get you moving in the right direction because you don’t just have to sit there and accept it.

You can work towards healing your emotions and using them to make your life better as you show yourself the compassion you were so willing to share with others.

 

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Let me know in the comments below: Have you been holding onto emotional chaos? What steps are you taking to detox your emotions?

If you need help clearing up the confusion, check out Code Calm, a program designed to reduce the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional stress you’re experiencing.