That 'EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE'

That 'EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE'

So sorry for the mix-up.  Just because travel restrictions have been lifted in most locations, this piece is NOT the final call for boarding your flight.  Instead, we'd like to discuss a bit more about our EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE, which everyone either has or has had in the past.  Regardless of your standing now in society and regardless of culture and religion, no one is immune from that EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE which we end up carrying on, not because we wanted to but moreso because that is the consequence arising from the outcome of a situation.  If anyone claims that he has zero EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE even in the past, that's baloney to say the least.  Not likely in our growing up years and even as a child, emotions didn't seem to have a place and a space to tuck it in.  Not until we get into our tumultuous adulthood, whew.

Therapists would always insist that we are all carrying backpacks that we continually load up. We keep stuffing them full until one day, we can't zip and the stuff starts spilling out all over the place.  Which reminds me of that George Clooney movie 'UP in the AIR' way back 2009 wherein I'd like to quote these top-heavy thoughts: "HOW MUCH DOES YOUR LIFE WEIGH ? ...NOW, FILL IT WITH PEOPLE, START WITH ACQUAINTANCES, FRIENDS OF FRIENDS, FOLKS AROUND.  GET THEM INTO THAT BACKPACK.  FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THAT BAG.   

Now, let's accept this reality:  our relationships are the HEAVIEST COMPONENTS in our life.  Do you feel the straps cutting into your shoulder ?  All those arguments and negotiations, secrets and compromises,  we don't need to carry it all, right? So, what really is this proverbial backpack and how can we prevent it from filling up to the point where we feel like we can't carry all of our stuff ?  To get to the bottom of it [pun intended], medical health experts have studied what weighs us down and how emotional weight is holding us back and what can we do to begin emptying out the junk. 

But before we get bogged down, can we break up all these baggage.  MENTAL BAGGAGE - that's our tendency to think negatively about past or current issues that have not been resolved.  There is a tension in the body that shows up in our shoulders and neck whereas EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE does feel like you are wearing or carrying a bag filled with emotions.

What then is our common problem ?  While carrying past experiences [including the emotions that came with them] may help us better navigate future experiences.  In fact, studies show that emotional baggage can be a real barrier to making healthy lifestyle changes [like exercising more, eating healthier or quitting smoking].  Respondents confirmed that emotional baggage was an important explanation why they were stuck in OLD HABITS added load to their already emotional baggage and made it heavier.  How can we fix this ?  UNLOAD YOUR BACPACK and if you suspect that unresolved emotions are weighing you down, you've already taken the first step in lightening up your load ❗❗❗