What’s Weighing You Down?

With so much discussion centered around our weight, and with the majority (as high as 75 percent) of the population suffering from carrying around excess weight, it’s a topic that is hard to avoid.

According to government statistics:

• Nearly 1 in 3 adults (31%) are overweight

• More than 2 in 5 adults (42%) are obese

• About 1 in 11 adults (9%) are severely obese

But your physical weight is not the focus of this article.

The focus of this article is examining the emotional factors weighing you down, which may also be related to why you are also physically overweight. Toxic thoughts weigh us down and often drive us into negative behaviors, such as overeating “comfort” foods.

Do you struggle under the weight of your emotions? You are not alone. Many, if not most of us, carry around hidden emotional wounds, debris, shrapnel … simply from living our lives.

According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 41 percent of adults worldwide reported experiencing a lot of worry, 40 percent reported a lot of stress, 27 percent reported a lot of sadness, and 23 percent reported anger.

Emotional weight is bad enough, but do you also suffer with negative self-talk? Sadly, it's a common habit that can affect your mental health. Studies show that everyone experiences negative thoughts; in fact, studies suggest that about 80 percent of our thoughts are negative (and repetitive).

The problem is when we leave these things unchecked, it often leads us to make unhealthy choices – including with our food, with drugs (or other ways of self-medicating), and with our relationships.

The rest of this article focuses on strategies you can implement to remove as much negative emotional thinking as possible, to reduce the weight you’re carrying mentally and emotionally.

How to Reduce Your Emotional Weight

Here are some strategies for helping you drop some of the unnecessary and negative emotional weight you’re carrying.

1. Acknowledge All That You Are Feeling. It’s time to be honest with yourself and to stop avoiding the emotions you’re feeling. Express verbally what you are feeling mentally, emotionally. It’s okay to be sad, disgusted, angry, frustrated, fearful, bitter, guilty, or resentful about what is happening to you or what has happened to you in the past.

2. Sit With Your Emotions. Instead of what we typically do, which is either to ignore or push down our emotions, try and sit with everything you are feeling. Allowing yourself to deeply feel your emotions can often be freeing, as you release the negativity to the world. If the emotions are too strong or too raw, it might be time to get the assistance of a professional, such as a therapist.

3. Uncover the Source of Your Emotions. Typically, negative emotions stem from past trauma, which can be defined as something negative that happened to you (such as neglect, a car accident, witnessing a horrible event, abusive relationship, etc.) or the withholding of something expected (most typically unconditional love, friendship, etc.). This step is key to moving past the trauma wounds and allowing the release of trapped negative emotions. For more on trauma, please see the additional resources at the end of the article.

4. Address and Solve the Problems. A healing journey can help you deal with the past trauma wounds you uncover, but what if some of the emotional baggage comes from ongoing situations, such as a bad work environment or an unhealthy relationship? It’s imperative to find ways to reduce or resolve current issues, such as changing jobs or employers and escaping bad relationships. If you don’t take any corrective actions, you will remain trapped.

5. Integrate The Emotional Lessons. What can you learn from the emotions you feel? How can you change your perspective about the past? How does understanding your emotions and the underlying cause of those emotions change your outlook? What can you do right now to resolve as many of these negative emotions as possible? Challenge any negative thinking or memories. Consider using a journal for this step.

6. Practice Self-Compassion and Self-Forgiveness. Resolving past trauma and emotional baggage is not accomplished in one sitting and may never be completely resolved, but you can create a better and healthier framework for dealing with negative emotions when they arise. Consider developing an affirmation to use during trying times and focus on being kind to yourself; treat yourself as you would treat a friend dealing with the same issue. If you temporarily slip back to old habits, forgive yourself and move forward.

7. Lean on Support from Loved Ones. We are not meant to be solitary beings, and we can best regulate our emotions and have better emotional stability when we have the strong support from members of our community. Sharing and talking with trusted people can not only lighten your burden but also help illuminate things you may have missed. If needed, develop a strategy for adding more people to your inner circle.

8. Build Emotional Resiliency. One of the best tools for building resiliency is through meditation and/or prayer. When we allow ourselves periods of quiet reflection, whether using meditation or seeking the support of our Creator, we build a place of calmness and peace, which can then be replicated any time we need more emotional support. Simply spending quiet time in nature can also be very healing and contemplative.

9. Release the Negativity Physically. Sitting around and processing our emotions and the source of those emotions is vital, but another way to help release some of the pressure and tension from unresolved emotions is to vigorously exercise. Head to the gym, go for a run, hit a punching bag, find a dance or yoga class, or go swimming. These activities are not only good for releasing emotions, but fantastic for overall health.

Final Thoughts on Managing Our Emotional Baggage

I grew up in a family who pretended that everything was okay, and if things did arise, they were quickly swept under the rug and ignored… which led to most of us being emotionally crippled and lacking the strategies laid out in this article.

We will never lighten our emotional load if we follow a practice of avoiding or ignoring negative emotions. It’s even worse if we fall into a negative thought loop, constantly ruminating on them.

Here is the key takeaway: Whatever your situation, you do NOT need to live with a heavy emotional burden weighing you down, which should help with both mental and physical health.

Resources For Dealing With Past Trauma

• Are You Affected By Past Trauma? A Self-Assessment

• Discover the Methods for True, Wholeistic, Healing

• Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul

• Journaling for Healthy Healing and Personal Growth

• What is a Healing Journey? How Do I Start One?

• Why Relationships Are KEY to a Healing Journey

Additional Resources for Healthier Eating

• How to Release ‘Emotional Baggage’ and the Tension That Goes with It

• How to Deal With Negative Emotions

• Navigating Negative Emotions

• Recognizing and Coping with Negative Emotions

• 5 Reasons Why We Struggle with Difficult Emotions

• Letting It Go: Getting Past Negative Emotions