Healthy Ways to Process Your Emotions

Processing your emotions is not about ignoring your emotions or trying to get rid of and 
change them. It is simply a way to acknowledge how you feel, consider them, and figure 
out why you feel that way. Every human being has a wide range of emotions at any 
given time, but we are often so afraid of them, that we hide them away and distract 
ourselves with other things. But for better emotional wellness, you really need to learn 
how to sit with your emotions and process them.


Sit With Your Emotions for a Minute

An easy way to begin processing your emotions is to just sit with them. What does this 
mean? In the literal sense, just sit for a moment and consider what your emotions are, 
allowing yourself to feel them fully.

This might seem overly simplified, but it is actually harder for people to grasp than you 
might think. Your natural reaction as a human being is to react immediately to any 
extreme emotions. Fear, sadness, anger, even happiness can all create this desire to 
react to it. 

Sometimes you react by lashing out, sometimes you react by immediately hiding from 
that emotion and eating junk food or drinking alcohol or participating in another bad 
habit. 

But if you can just sit for a few minutes and acknowledge your emotions, you will be 
able to process them in a much healthier way.


Acknowledge Your Emotions at Any Given Time

This is closely linked to mindfulness, where you try to stay present in the moment and 
just acknowledge your emotions and feelings, and what might have caused them. You 
will do this while you are sitting with your emotions, but it’s not always immediately after 
you experience them. 

Sometimes, you find that your emotions are tied to something from the past that keeps 
coming up. It is just as effective in these circumstances. Think about what you are 
feeling and what emotions it is bringing up. Consider what you were doing previously or 
what you were thinking about to bring up these emotions. 

Sometimes, coping is just acknowledging and accepting that this is how you feel right 
now, but you might not feel like this later. 


Work Through Them with Journaling

For a more actionable step, you can process your emotions by working through them in 
your journal. Many people find that writing things down is a much more effective way at 
acknowledging and processing their emotions. You might not even realize all the 
feelings you have until you start writing down what is on your mind.

What often happens is one thought leads to the next, and then the feelings start coming 
up. The more you write down, the more you think about and can actually gain clarity 
about. It is a really surprising and moving experience when you allow yourself to do this 
in a safe, open, and honest environment. 


Change Your Story

You are the author in your own story, and you are the only person who can really 
change it. Nobody else is in control of how you think or feel except you, which means 
your emotional wellbeing is also all up to you. While others might have some impact on 
how you feel, they can’t change it for you and they can’t validate your emotions. 

You can change your story right now by processing your emotions in a healthy way. 
You can create a happy ending in your life by changing your mindset and having more 
self-compassion and learning how to accept your own emotions and feelings.


Address Your Other Basic Needs

Lastly, don’t forget about the most basic needs you have each and every day. By 
making these a priority even in the most stressful of circumstances, you will be able to 
process any emotions you are dealing with. Even when you’re feeling bad and 
struggling with processing those feelings, just go for a walk, take a shower, eat a meal, 
adhere to your basic needs and you will start feeling better.



