Letting Out Your 2020 Emotions

2020, what a year eh?

I can confidently say that absolutely everyone will have struggled at one point or another about something or other this year. It's been completely different for every individual; everyone has struggled with different aspects of the whole situation. I've felt every emotion under the sun across the year (and sometimes within a single day!).

Emotions are tricksy little devils; they're one of the most natural things in the world, yet one of the hardest to understand, interpret or even express so in a year that's been an extremely emotional one it's not an easy task to get your head around how and what you're actually feeling.

As someone (along with I imagine many many others) who has grown up learning to suppress my own emotions so as not to cause a scene or upset anyone else, it's only in the past couple of years that I've begun to unlearn that which now comes naturally to me and actually talk about those things called feelings. Turns out it's pretty useful to let them all out.

I saw an interesting quote on Twitter this week; "Everyone needs more than anyone can give right now." So with pretty much everyone burnt out by a rollercoaster year, just how do you clear your head and actually let out your emotions?

Write things down // Sometimes it works wonders just to get everything down onto paper, as though you've transferred some of that weight inside you onto the paper itself. There are lots of different ways to do this; using prompts, simply word vomitting or finding a structure that works for you. I tend to jot things down without even writing in sentences; words to describe how I'm feeling, things I'm grateful for, things I could do to help me feel better.

Share with a friend // I suppose this goes a little against the quote above, but from speaking to a few different people it seems that everyone has had that one friend they've been offloading to throughout the year (just make sure you're allowing them to unload on you too if they need to!). A massive shout out to my friend Katie who has been the one person I've met up with consistently (safely don't worry) and has really got me through and kept me sane!

Take up a new hobby // Despite hobbies having absolutely nothing to do with talking about or processing your feelings, they can be immensely helpful outlets; I for one find things like knitting and craft very therapeutic and excellent escapes from real life. Basically anything that fully occupies your mind is good for the soul!

Get out and about // Easier said than done when we're being told to stay at home, but it's amazing how much difference a bit of fresh air makes. Whether it's a beefy walk in the countryside or a quick wander in my lunch break I've been making sure I get outside every day. It's a great way to take a deep breath and think about how you're feeling that day.

Most importantly, don't be scared of letting your emotions out; if that simply means a good cry instead of any of the above then that helps too!

How do you let out your emotions?

Amy x