If you are a student at The College of Psychic Studies, it is highly likely that you are an empath. Us sensitive souls tend to feel more acutely - so much so that we can experience life as abrasive, sometimes even painful. It is because of this sometimes painful sensitivity that we may tend to bury difficult emotions. Jane Novak is a dedicated champion of sensitive souls, and has made it her life's work to support empaths in realising the strength in their extraordinary depths of awareness. Part of this process is learning to be present with uncomfortable feelings - and, in doing so, resolve them. In this article, she identifies three signs that you may be carrying unresolved emotions - as well as what to do about them...
What is an unresolved emotion?
For empaths and highly sensitive people, feelings such as anger, hurt, rejection or shame can sometimes be too much for us to deal with. And so we push them away, we hide them. We don't want to see or feel them. The problem is that these unresolved emotions don't go anywhere. They actually grow stronger when they are neglected.
When left unprocessed, these feelings continue to bring never-ending anxiety and frustration. Furthermore, they make it even harder to manage anxiety - another condition that us sensitives are prone to. Sometimes we think that
specific experiences can bring relief to our anxiety. But the relief doesn't last, and the anxiety comes back
threefold.
Three signs you have unresolved emotions
I want to share three signs you have unresolved emotions that want to be seen. These three signs help you identify if you are carrying unprocessed feelings:
1. You are uncomfortable in silence. While most sensitive people crave silence, many feel uncomfortable and need to reach out for the phone, watch TV, or read a book. Of course, some of these activities can add to our joyful experience. However, when we tend to do them to avoid silence, the underlying feelings only grow stronger.
2. You scroll through social media and reach out to your phone automatically. Notice how many times a day you pick up your phone without even getting a notification.
3. You feel burned out and overwhelmed. The reason for this is you have a lot of accumulated unresolved feelings, and anything else that comes your way feels unbearable. You have to feel empty to be able to handle the energy of the world. This goes especially for highly sensitive people who are perceptive of everything around them.
Do any of these sound familiar? If yes, then it's a sign that you have unresolved emotions. The good news is, once you have recognised this, you can allow space to let these feelings reveal themselves and disappear. You will find that this process can bring you real lasting relief.
Learning to be present with unprocessed feelings
Imagine being at a work meeting and having a sharp belly ache. What would you do? Would you continue to pretend everything is okay, despite the debilitating pain? Or would you leave and head to see a doctor or find some kind of treatment to ease the pain? The answer is obvious.
Society has not normalised taking care of uncomfortable feelings in the same way that we do with physical pain. Most people numb themselves to avoid feeling this way. However, just like taking a pain killer to mask sharp physical pain; once it wears off, the pain or uncomfortable feeling will return.
It is essential that, as an empath, you take time to sit with your feelings. This is one of the most important things you can do to clear
patterns that keep you stuck in unhappiness. It will allow you to feel peace and not feel
threatened by the world. Catch your feelings as they arise, and welcome them without trying to get rid of them.
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