Psychology

Tough Emotions Are Like Missed Trains

For a faster recovery, let yourself feel them judgment-free

I turned the corner onto the subway platform.

A woman was just about to board when the doors slammed shut, inches from her face. She was royally pissed off, cussing loudly and waving her arms for emphasis. The show went on until a homeless man sitting in the corner yelled out:

“Lady, trains are like men. Another one will come along.”

He was right, and not just literally. The plain and simple truth was that it was not the end of the world, and the pain would pass.

Tough emotions are like missed trains. You’re left stewing on the platform, your body aflame and your mind in chaos. You have no perspective other than your loss, the missed opportunity snatched from you, the insult of doors slamming in your face.

And that’s OK.

You will want to manage, tamp down, suppress, deny, or talk yourself out of that hot mess of feelings. Don’t. On the inside, be the subway lady. Feel all the feels. Feel them with every fiber of your being.

Here’s why: The quicker you allow yourself to really feel, judgment-free, the sooner you will regain your balance. Suppressed feelings can fester in your body like a low-grade…