Why Emotions
Matter In
Creating Long
Lasting
Relationships

Emotions play a very important role in our lives and our mental health.  These emotions “live” inside of us, whether we are aware of them or not. They serve as our internal compass, giving us information about what is important to us, informing us about our needs and wants, and preparing us for action to meet those needs. Emotions also help us to grow and develop healthy attachments. 

Unfortunately, many of us may have been taught early in life that expressing emotions is not a desired behavior, and that in fact, it may lead to negative outcomes. Similarly, our emotions may have been categorized as being either “good” or “bad”, and if they are “bad” or “negative”, they need to be supressed, numbed, or controlled. Either way, as adults, we may find ourselves having difficulty understanding our emotional experiences, especially if our emotions have not been validated or understood while growing up, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and helpless when certain emotions do appear in our relationships or within ourselves. The unfortunate outcome of such scenarios in the present is that when our emotions cannot be expressed in a safe environment, they do not only manifest themselves in unhealthy ways, but they also impact our mental health, who we are to others and ourselves, ultimately affecting our relationships with our loved ones.