Emotion repression can result in elevated levels of stress resulting in high blood pressure. Some research suggests that emotion repression can also be linked to a cancer diagnosis. In short, repressing your emotions isn’t doing your body any favors. But finding ways to express how you’re feeling can also be difficult.

There are some mindful ways to positively express emotions. Using these techniques to better understand how you feel (and express those feelings) can lead to a calmer life.

Five Ways to Express Your Emotions Mindfully

1. Write it down: you can’t begin to tell other people how you’re feeling if you are unaware of those feelings yourself. Even though you may believe that you know how you feel, writing those thoughts down on a piece of paper may open the floodgates. Acknowledging your feelings is the first step towards beneficial expression.
2. Be engaged: we’ve lost the art of communication. We no longer look at each other when we speak. Even if we are on the phone with someone, we are hardly ever giving that person our undivided attention. To communicate your emotions effectively, put your phone down, close your laptop screen, and make eye contact.
3. Ask questions: when you have a conversation with someone, try and ask questions pertinent to the topic. Sometimes an emotion you might be experiencing is a result of something false. For example: you might be angry or frustrated at your co-worker and wanting to express this emotion, but if you ask your co-worker why that thing that made you angry happened, you might be surprised at the result.
4. Choose the right time and place: it’s rarely a good idea to express strong feelings in the heat of the moment. Try and calm down, notice and name your emotions, and then wait until the right time. That time might be two days from now or it could be a few hours from now.
5. Select the right medium: should you call the person you want to talk with? Email them? Send them a long text? Meet with them face to face? The way that you deliver your message is also important. Take the time necessary to consider the best mode of communication.

A Lesson in Reflection

Learning to express your emotions takes time. Begin by recognizing and naming your emotions, and then learn to put space between strong emotions and the right time to communicate them. Mindful emotion expression takes time to achieve, but it can be done!