Wisdom & Sol
Posts
How to Listen to the Emotions Your Body’s Been Holding Onto

How to Listen to the Emotions Your Body’s Been Holding Onto

Bottle up your emotions, and your body might throw a tantrum!

Sol TV
May 27, 2025

Welcome to Wisdom & Sol! If you haven’t subscribed, join our community of 54,327 intelligent, curious folks who want to boost their emotional well-being by subscribing here.

We've all felt that indefinable "off" feeling—something that goes beyond obvious explanations like stress or a bad day. It could be caused by a variety of things you’re not consciously aware of, like sadness, guilt, or jealousy. A lot of people inadvertently hide or push aside those types of feelings because they challenge their own beliefs or ideas about who they are.

You might think, "Oh, I can't be angry; I'm the calm one who always keeps the peace at home," or "Why would I be sad about not being invited to a party? I don't care about silly events anyway." Or how about "Jealous"? Me? No way, I'm not the type to want what other people have."

Even when your mind tries to forget or downplay things, there’s a small, wise part that craves the truth: your intuition. It’s a quiet knowing without conscious reasoning.

When that inner wisdom can’t get through to the mind, it often turns to the body. There, it becomes a gentle messenger, making us physically feel what we haven't quite let ourselves acknowledge in our thoughts.

If your mind isn’t ready to face your anger, that feeling might settle in your lower back. If you don't address your worries, they might go straight to your stomach. A broken heart from a friendship or relationship, if ignored, can manifest as heaviness in your chest.

Doctors may be good at diagnosing physical problems, but they may not be looking for the emotional causes of any symptoms. They might not ask whether a strained relationship is behind your back pain, or if unexpressed rage toward someone close to you is causing muscle tension.

This is where you can step in and help yourself. To start, try a simple, curiosity exercise to ease some of the body's quiet struggles: Close your eyes while lying down, and gently turn your attention to different body parts. Ask each one: "If you could tell me something, what would it be?" What might your heart, legs, shoulders, and stomach want?

You might be surprised by how clearly your mind hears the answers. Once you ask, it could become clear that your shoulders are aching to release a hefty burden they've carried, or that your stomach wants you to lighten your load. Maybe your heart needs a chance to say sorry (or hear it), your chest feels tight from pretending to be happy, or your lungs just need an opportunity to let out a good, honest sigh.

Suppressed emotions also tend to block energy channels in our body known as chakras. There are seven chakras, each associated with different parts of the body mentioned above. You can read more about them here.

Why Do We Hide Our Feelings?

Have you ever wondered why so many of us often keep our emotions bottled up?

One main reason is self-protection. People sometimes believe that if they don't face how they feel, they can somehow avoid getting hurt or feeling pain. It seems safer at the moment—like putting up a barrier.

Another big factor is other people’s expectations. You might feel pressure to behave a certain way, thinking that showing vulnerability isn't "acceptable" or that people might ridicule your feelings.

To unlearn the habit of hiding your emotions, you have to confront the false sense of control it provides. The behavior often stems from a deep-seated belief that emotions are dangerous—that they’ll either overwhelm you or push others away.

To overcome this, you need to sit with the discomfort that this idea creates, viewing it as a feeling, not a fact. You also have to shatter the notion in your head that being open means being weak. The habit isn't something you can fix immediately—it's a slow process of noticing when you push your feelings down and then asking yourself what scares you.

You see, our nervous systems prioritize speed over strategy, and when it’s dysregulated, it cannot weigh long-term consequences. As a result, it picks the quickest way to even everything out: a heated reply, a cold shoulder, or an over-the-top reaction. That's why one bad moment can burn through the goodwill of a hundred kind ones and ruin a relationship. It's not that you're irrational—it's that your body is just trying to find calm in a storm, but it's grabbing the wrong protection.

How to Heal Your Emotions

Healing begins when you pay attention to the messages from your heart and body. You don't need to be a pro or know everything. You just need some bravery and plenty of self-compassion.

What's one emotional hurdle you're stuck on? Reply and share—we’ll send back practical ideas to help you push through.

Help us make this newsletter even better for you! Was this issue useful? What would you be excited to read about next? Reply to this email with your thoughts and suggestions. We read every response!