7 Ways to Release Negative Emotions

1. Awareness

Firstly, we need to understand that the first person who will get hurt by holding on to the toxic emotions is us and not so much the person, event or situation who triggered the toxic emotions in us.

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness. — James Thurber

2. Take Responsibility

Even though it may not always be easy, it is very important to stop blaming others for how we feel and to take 100 percent responsibly for our own thoughts, emotions, action or inaction, to take 100 percent responsibility for our life, and by doing so we will claim back our own power.

When you blame some outside forces for whatever you are feeling, you give away any power you may have to change the negative situation and your feelings about it, and you allow yourself to be the victim.

Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame. — Erica Jong

3. Don’t Believe Everything You Think

The next wise thing to do is question your own thoughts. Don’t believe everything you think, especially if your thoughts are creating even more stress, anxiety, frustration, anger and all kind of other negative emotions in your life.

The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking. — Albert Einstein

4. Acceptance vs. Resistance

Don’t resist the pain these toxic emotions are causing you, for resistance would only make things even worse. What you want to do is to act as if whatever you are feeling right now is there because you chose to. Accept it and allow the pain to just be and by doing so you will help release and heal the pain.

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. — William James

5. Let Go

Let go of the need to blame others for your anger, let go of the need to put yourself down for feeling the way you are feeling and let go of all the toxic emotions you are holding on to. It is as easy as holding tightly a rotten apple — toxic emotions — and then letting that apple go. It’s that simple.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. — Buddha

6. Shift From Negative To Positive

If you focus too much on what seems to be wrong, you will not be able to release the negative emotions. Shift your focus from negative to positive, focus on the things you want to attract in your life and the feelings you want to feel and not on what you don’t want — very important! By doing so, you will allow the dark clouds to pass and the sun to shine through.

I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. — Abraham Harold Maslow

7. Show Gratitude

Now that you released all the toxicity from your body, why not express your gratitude for all the amazing things you have learned along the way? Express your gratitude toward all those people/events that triggered all kind of negative emotions in you, and thank them for helping you become a happier, wiser and confident person.

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers. — Khalil Gibran