Our emotions can sometimes overwhelm us so we feel like we are in a turbulent storm and a feeling of being out of control.  To protect ourselves from this we may often do our best to avoid feeling painful emotions.  It's so understandable, we wouldn't intentionally stub our toe or shut our finger in a door because we don't like the feeling of that physical pain, so why on earth would we want to feel painful feelings.
But there will always be things happen in our lives that cause painful feelings, and if we don't address our feelings at the time, they very often get buried only to resurface in other ways.
So what happens when something triggers those feelings?  We will initially feel the emotional response to that, tears may start to form, but then because we feel uncomfortable about feeling the feelings we may stop them too soon or abruptly. 
This is extremely relevant for men who may have been conditioned to believe crying is a weakness, where as its quite the contrary, and a sign of strength to be able to sit with and allow your feelings to be released.
The more we block and supress these feelings, the more they get buried deep rooted within the body and so will find other ways to surface, it could be in the form of anger, self harm, hurting others, addictions, physical ailments or mental health problems.
Staying in pain isn't good either though, so learning tools and techniques to be able to understand the feelings, be able to be with them, feel them, release them and heal is the healthy balance of managing daily emotions so that its a continuous flow as we go through life's experiences.
Have you noticed that when something painful happens, like the loss of someone, loss of something, an unplanned change how we may shed a few tears initially but then it gets buried because we have little knowledge or understanding of how to treat it?
Many adults are carrying things deeply imbedded from their childhood only to have them resurface in ways that are affecting their mental and physical health and relationships, or someone else's mental health because they are projecting things on to them.  Many may also begin to shut off from feeling anything painful at all and now find it difficult to release those pent up feelings as well as feel them.
Alternative therapies and methods like Meditation, Sound Therapy and Energy Healing can be really helpful in getting in touch with your feelings and a way of releasing those blocks and barriers around them as well as providing you tools and techniques to be able to master them, empowering yourself.
Talking helps in being able to make sense of things and get them off your chest, medication helps in keeping afloat to be able to function but they don't essentially provide the healing and release that's needed into moving through and on to the healing part to leave you feeling lighter and free.
Often its a balance of conventional and alternative therapies that can help provide the best type of support, such as some counselling as well as meditation or energy healing.  However one to one meditation coaching can really help to get deep enough to bring clarity, acceptance, healing and transformation about so that you can begin to live life in a way feeling more resilient and equipped to deal with storms and curve balls that can be thrown our way.

​​Have you ever noticed the change in energy during a thunder storm?  Starting with that eerie silence and oppressive, heavy energy, then the highly charged energy as the storm kicks off.  Similar with an active Volcano that's about to erupt; first there may be signs of smoke simmering away, followed by a huge eruption of boiling hot lava causing devastation in its wake. 
Feelings of anger can be quite similar to this.  Anger can start off as rumblings of irritation or frustration beneath the surface or almost explosive like its come out of nowhere, taking you by complete surprise and leaving you feeling overwhelmed and emotional.
Sometimes, these angry feelings we feel simmering inside of us can come from unresolved issues that we haven't allowed ourselves to process and feel our emotions in relation to.  Often, behind the emotion of anger, there is a great sense of sadness and grief that is the root cause; making sense of this through guided meditation with someone or therapy can help us dig deeper and see beyond the anger, allowing it to be felt and processed without judgment.
When we allow ourselves to notice and feel our anger and emotions without any judgement, being aware of how it feels and presents itself in the body, you start to feel a subtle shift of energy.  Breathing into the feeling whilst sending compassionate thoughts towards yourself starts to weaken the power of the anger and replace it with the softer energy of sadness, often allowing tears to fall and the healing process begins.  
The anger may be something deep rooted from years ago, with more and more layers piled on top of it, so practising this technique on a regular basis allows a gentle peeling back of the layers.  Its wise to do this with someone who can guide and support you with this initially in a safe and secure space.
If the anger is in relation to a more recent or current situation, then equally using this method can help to allow you to feel the emotions, process them so that they flow through naturally, preventing them from being buried and becoming a problem later down the line.  
It was my son that made me aware how uncomfortable some people are in dealing with feelings of sadness. On a regular basis he may erupt and project his frustration and anger, but if a moving piece of music comes on he has to turn it off because he isn't comfortable with the emotional response and tears it stirs in him.
 It seems that feelings of anger are maybe easier for someone to express and feel than sadness and grief, however, the more we address and give compassion towards the anger, the more we allow the sadness to be felt and become more comfortable with the feeling and in letting go.  Unresolved anger that we hold on to makes it harder for us to let go, move forward and create a healthier balance and mindset.  
The main thing is, anger is not something to be feared or despised; more so it's our bodies way of alerting us that something needs to be dealt with, energy needs to be cleared allowing new energy to enter.  By befriending it we begin to understand its place and how it may be actually trying to help us.

​Nature is incredible isn’t it. It’s ability to adapt and change within external forces, regenerating and establishing new roots in some really harsh conditions in the world; it always finds a way to break through somehow.
Seeing as we are connected to and part of nature, it’s no surprise that we, as humans, are also able to adapt, regenerate and renew.  Even if on the surface things look rotten or stagnant, underneath there are the roots; that in the right conditions and with the right attention can start to look healthy, grow and thrive. 
I brought a foxglove recently to plant in the garden. The lady explained to me that in order for the flowers to keep regenerating throughout the summer, I would need to take off the dead flowers and keep cutting it back. She said that by doing this all the energy goes to the roots rather than on the leaves and flowers and it’s in the focussing of energy on the roots that the plant is able to stay healthy and keep blooming. 
This made me think how relevant this is to ourselves.  If our energy is spent on surface level stuff, such as how we look, what we wear etc, looking externally for happiness, then those things will be a temporary pleasure rather than sustainable in keeping us healthy and well.  Alternatively, if we focus and use our energy on the root causes, such as our health and nutrition, finding ways and seeking help in dealing with unresolved trauma, emotional difficulties, things that are preventing us from inner peace and happiness within, then ultimately we begin to nurture and heal, allowing us to grow, blossom and be more healthy and balanced. 
The biggest transformation starts to happen when you start investing in tending to these roots,  you begin to feel a shift taking place. Sometimes it’s very subtle, or it can be explosive, like a complete break through the surface; you start to sense coming out of the dark into the light; it can feel like waking up from a very long sleep.
Whatever healthy remedy is needed to tend to these roots, such as therapy, healing, nutrition, meditation, spiritual connection, connecting with nature; it will undoubtedly be the best investment you make in being able to sustain a much more balanced and fulfilling life.  Not only will it help improve your general physical and mental health, but more importantly,  it opens up a connection to self, to the heart of who you are.  Knowing who you are leads to acceptance, understanding and increases your value and self worth.  
So next time you are in the garden and tending to your flowers and plants, give a thought to the whole of that plant and think about what makes those flowers look so beautiful; all the work and energy that goes on under the surface that you can't see.  The roots. 

Every season brings with it something so naturally therapeutic and healing; the shedding and letting go in Autumn, the time for rest and hibernation in Winter, the rebirth and newness of Spring and the warmth and expansion of growth in Summer.  It seems even more so this year, an abundance of wildflowers in the fields and on the roadside; fields full of buttercups and verges full of nettles, cow parsley and forget-me-nots.  Or it may just be that each year, it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful nature is, as if seeing it with fresh eyes for the first time.  If I am feeling slightly off, maybe a bit frazzled or low, just getting out into the fields or woods and listening to the birds or the sound of a babbling stream instantly lifts me and I can feel the natural healing taking place, nourishing every part of me. The best part is it’s all completely free, no need to take anything externally to bring about that feeling.  Just purely natural and wholesome.  The plants and fauna equally provide medicinal benefits; wild garlic to use in cooking, nettles for making nettle tea, elderflower to make a nutritious syrup and dandelions can be used in salads, soups and to make tea. There are so many other plants I am keen to find out about and keep alive that connection to nature; our greatest healer and physician.
I often wonder how early man knew what plants were safe to eat and to cure ailments? There would have been no books to learn these things from; was it trial and error or natural instinct like the animals and birds seem to instinctively know? Whatever it was, natural medicine and foods were the means to survival for thousands of years until man found a way to make profit on such things and led to us all becoming so dependent on them.
I will continue to explore and grow my interest and increase my knowledge of ancient medicine and holistic remedies; keeping that connection to nature alive, which I feel is needed now more than ever in an ever increasing, ever changing world of artificial intelligence and technology.