Resistance isn’t always bad, in fact it can teach us crucial things about what isn’t working for us. However, when it gets in the way of allowing us to accept and move forward, it needs to be released.

 

This came to me when I purposely avoided creating intentions and decided to let the first few weeks of January sink in and let the intentions form themselves. Then when the time was right I decided I was going to create my intention in the form of a word this year and that word is: release.

 

When it came to me it seemed perfect. Because I realize in the last year there are a lot of things that I need to release both emotionally and physically.

 

Everything we hold emotionally affects us physically.

 

When I say that, people often get nervous and think that feeling a bad emotion is going to hurt them physically. We are inundated with information about how being positive and optimistic is the key to a healthy life. But it’s near impossible to feel positive and optimistic if you’re holding emotions down.

 

When we hold back too many emotions they build up in our body the same way and look to release wherever they can. Since we’re not taught to show our emotions or to have any emotion that is deemed bad, there’s probably a huge amount of unfelt emotions that are building pressure within your body.

 

It’s not that you make yourself sick or create pain, it’s purely an unconscious process. The place where things become stuck and confusing, is when you withhold an emotion and it takes another form. It’s the unconscious stress of holding on to something that creates added stress on your body and its functions.

 

If you have IBS or another kind of digestive disorder, your body is experiencing abdominal discomfort and perhaps digestive issues. In a sense that’s an area of weakness in your body. When you get stressed over family disagreement or uncertainty about your position at work, your body starts to tense up. And if you don’t address the source of the tension and release it, that pressure may add to what already happening in your digestive track. So your stomach is a little upset, add some muscle tension to it, then it really starts to hurt.

 

Before you know it, you are heading towards a flare up.

 

Then it can turn into a cycle in which you feel you have no control over.

 

But you do have control over it. That’s where people get a little stuck, and they feel like their life is being controlled by their symptoms. And though releasing your emotions won’t make the symptoms go away immediately, it will start a process of  relaxation and help your body function better when things do get stressful.

 

The problem most people encounter is they are not sure of what they’re feeling. If you don’t know what you’re feeling, how do you release it?

 

This is where a little soul-searching comes to play.

 

Here are a few ways to feel and release:

 

1. Do a body scan: find places that seem tense and give them space to relax by stretching or breathing.

 

2. Notice what you’re feeling during the day and write it down. Instead of reacting to a coworker’s criticism or freezing up at a family event, recognize what you’re feeling. You don’t have to respond if you’re not ready (in fact it’s better not to say anything until you know why you feel certain way) just notice what emotion comes up. Is it anger? Fear? Take a moment and write it down. The more you recognize and acknowledge your emotions, the easier it will be to release them.

 

3. This is where the soul-searching really comes into play. Where are these emotions coming from? Do they remind you of something from the past? If you find that this is the case, then it’s time to release them. You can do that by doing something physical like kickboxing or running.

 

Remember we can’t control anything in life 100%, and that includes your symptoms. But we can take control of what we do with them and how we let them affect our lives.

 

Looking for more tools to help you create less stress and more freedom every day? Check out my e-book  Listening to Your  Gut:  Connect with Your Body and Get IBS Relief

 

Good luck on your journey, I know that releasing will help me as I embark on a new year.