Accepting our emotions is not a weakness

This was in response to an article titled “Trust the Process.”

Many of us are taught to view emotions in a negative light because our elders believe that certain emotions represent weakness. This upbringing has helped many of us develop resilience and perseverance to a certain extent, but it has also taught us to suppress or repress other emotions. The downside of this is that we become very complex, one example of which is living in “survival mode” where we are constantly oscillating between the fight or flight response, which leads to a lot of disappointment, heartache and pain, which ultimately wears us out over time.

Both defense mechanisms, repression and suppression, involve avoiding contact with specific thoughts, emotions, memories, etc. While repression is a conscious choice to acknowledge and restrain, repression involves denying the existence and storing it subconsciously. Ignoring emotions will eventually cause them to resurface and have destructive consequences. Emotional intelligence is essential to understanding and handling emotions, preventing a false sense of self and future adverse consequences.

Many in our community are silent and ashamed of their emotions because emotions are ingrained as a sign of weakness and are still widely stigmatized. As a result, people are reluctant to seek counseling, which hinders their ability to initiate the healing process and achieve wholeness because expressing emotions is seen as unacceptable and a sign of weakness. We must build people’s resilience and emotional intelligence and teach them to identify, process and validate all of their emotions to create a stronger, more emotionally resilient community.

From a spiritual perspective, the concept of “strength in weakness” aligns with the biblical passage (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) where Paul explains that his weakness allowed the strength of Christ to dwell in him. Paul found joy in the suffering and persecution he endured for Christ and boasted in his weaknesses to demonstrate the strength of Christ. This perspective suggests that stigmatizing certain emotions as weaknesses may be a step too far, as emotions have a purpose and should be embraced.

Don’t wait until your condition gets better to start treatment. Embrace your emotions and allow yourself to be vulnerable—it’s okay to cry, hug, laugh, and show affection. You have the potential to create positive change in your life. Accepting all of our emotions makes us stronger, not weaker. Local behavioral health clinics offer a safe space to explore your emotions and seek guidance from professionals.

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