MY EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE / HOW I HANDLE IT

I learned about the different temperaments at a very young age and I realised that I have a melancholic temperament, which can sometimes cause a lot of things to affect me emotionally, even little things that may not affect others. I also realised that I can be overly sensitive at times to things and people, that I get sad sometimes for no reason, and that I can become depressed easily.

I like doing things perfectly, so I criticize myself when I make mistakes; This makes me feel horrible, and it may sometimes be difficult for me to get over my mistakes.

One thing I've also discovered about myself thus far is how tough it is to let go of anything; most of the time, I talk myself out of it and made intentional, purposeful efforts to let go of and stop thinking about things that hurt me, no matter how difficult it appeared to be.

All these feelings of unforgiveness, fear, anxiety, guilt, resentment, sadness, lack of enthusiasm, depression, and self-criticism are some the emotional baggage I have carried along with me in my journey through life, and, I sometimes think these emotions are also a result of my personality and temperament rather than just my past experiences.

Many people, like myself, have a tendency to carry these baggages with them as they go through life as a result of an unfortunate occurrence that occurred in the past.

So What then is emotional Baggage???

There are, to put it simply, aftereffects of a traumatic encounter or event; emotions that result from negative things that have happened in the past, and that negatively impact us.

Numerous factors, such as an abusive or neglected childhood, difficult friendships or family ties, and even prior errors, can leave a person with emotional baggage, but one particular thing that has left me with some emotional baggage is Disappointment.

Growing up, I was very optimistic and had high expectations for my life and the world around me, but as I got older, the reality of life started to hit me, and most of the things I expected didn't happen; I was let down quite a few times, and these experiences left me with a lot of self doubt, lack of faith, the unwillingness to expect good things even when I should have faith, negativity, and sometimes I even gave up. Even now l can still feel these emotions weighing me down.

My emotions can be tricky at times and can easily overwhelm me, but I've learned to master them so that I am in control of them rather than the other way around.

How I let go of emotional baggage

- Self affirmation

Every day I try to look myself in the mirror and say encouraging things to myself. I remind myself that I am deserving of love and all the good things that life has to offer and that my mistakes do not define who I am.

I do this to regulate my emotions, release negative energy, and process any undesirable feelings .

Additionally, self-affirmation reduces my tension and inspires me to keep trying to do better.
I say these powerful words to myself from time to time when I'm feeling down and When I do, my emotions change instantly and a flow of positive energy comes into my life.

- Forgiveness

As I mentioned earlier, I usually have hard times letting go of things, and sometimes It leads to resentment and anger. So, one of the things I do Is that I to constantly forgive others and move past their transgressions. I don't just forgive once; I forgive each and every time I have the thought; I tell myself, "I have forgiven him/her once more."

I also forgive myself because the best forgiveness is the one given to oneself.
I try not to blame myself for the mistakes I've made in my life, I only accept it and move on because I can't change the past.

- Focus on positive things

Instead than stressing about the awful things that might happen, I concentrate on positive things.

Also, Since I know that little things affect me, I avoid people who say negative things and surround myself with positive people who say things that motivates and inspires me.

- Distract myself

When I feel overwhelmed by my emotions or depressed because of somethings that happened in the past, I try to distract myself from the thought of it and most of the time, I do this by listening to peaceful music, watching a movie, or writing something or doing something
productive.

In conclusion;

We will never be completely happy if we carry these emotional baggage because they have the ability to sap our hope and energy, therefore we must continually learn new strategies to fight and overcome them.

This is my entry for this week's #KISS and I invite @bernice001

Thank you for your time❤❤