In this article, I’d like to explore how to clear the emotions we’ve been holding inside. Many of us carries feelings that were never fully expressed, often because they felt overwhelming, inconvenient, or too painful at the time. Yet these emotions don’t simply disappear. They wait patiently within us, asking to be acknowledged so they can finally move on.
Emotions remain with us only until we acknowledge and allow ourselves to feel them. To acknowledge an emotion means recognizing its presence within us, and when we give ourselves permission to feel it fully, the emotion naturally begins to clear.
Emotion, after all, is Energy in Motion. When an emotion is held within the body, it is like building a dam inside ourselves. A dam holds back water, releasing only small amounts so the wall doesn’t collapse. In the same way, we may release little bits of emotion here and there, while the bulk remains trapped, creating pressure. It is this internal pressure the effort of holding emotions back that feels so uncomfortable.
In fact, it takes far more energy to suppress an emotion than to feel it and let it move through us.
When we finally allow ourselves to feel, it is as though the floodgates of the dam begin to open, letting the energy flow again. The relief can be instant, surprising, and deeply freeing especially when we didn’t realize how much we were holding onto.
Trying to understand why we feel the way we do can be helpful, but true release happens in the body not in the mind. If we overthink what we feel, we risk disconnecting from our body and missing the opportunity to heal. We also risk creating stories that are untrue, which may generate new emotional burdens.
Trust that the clarity and meaning will come in its own time. Life brings the insights we need when we are ready for them.
Feeling is dealing. Dealing is healing
When you notice an emotion rising within you, stay with the sensation. Let yourself feel the full experience instead of cutting it short with distractions like reaching for your phone, turning on a screen, or diving into work. This is how we offer ourselves the greatest chance to fully clear it.
But what if you know you have an emotion and yet you can’t quite feel it?
Don’t worry this is very common. Here are some supportive approaches:
Set an intention, or include in your prayers, that you are willing and ready to feel what needs to be felt.
Write about the situation or the people involved. This can bring buried feelings closer to the surface.
Seek the presence of a caring person a trusted friend, healer, or counsellor.
Rest assured: emotions are not meant to stay buried forever. Life will continue to offer opportunities gently or loudly to feel, release, and free ourselves from what no longer serves us. Each time we do, we clear space to shine more as our authentic, beautiful selves.
Published: Updated 2025-12-02
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