The pressure cooker analogy

When we bottle up our emotions and feelings, it shunts lots of energy into certain places and diverts and blocks energy in other places in our bodies and minds. Feeling like we can't express how we feel - usually because it's just not safe to do so - makes us feel like we're going to 'blow'. And we usually do!!  - at the most inopportune moments.  The longer we deny how we really feel, the bigger that pressure cooker becomes. While we're (re)learning to express our feelings and emotions more healthily, we'll likely swing between being passive and aggressive. Both are forms of anger. Being passive makes us angry with ourselves and gives us another chance to judge and criticise our self which depletes our energy. And being aggressive is usually an inappropriate way of getting angry at others. Whether we feel 'justified' or not - others usually tune out when they see and hear us behaving like raving lunatics!! When we allow ourself to feel all our feelings, we'll find a more peaceful and assertive way to communicate with ourself and others because there won't be a big volcano of unprocessed emotions waiting to erupt!

Tap along to the following script to help you let some of that steam out and feel more peaceful.

Even though I feel I'm ready to blow (you can fill in the reason(s) here if you like), I completely accept how I feel and I choose not to judge or criticise how I am feeling right now, I just want to let off some steam and that's okay!!!!

Even though_________really makes me mad! and I have every reason to feel this way, I honour how angry I feel

Even though my blood is boiling, I choose to let some of this anger go FOR ME so I can feel more at ease and peaceful

TH: This anger

EB: I'm going to blow my top!

SE: It's been bubbling for a long time

UE: I'm ready to let it go

UN: No I'm not

UC: Why should I?

CB: I'm steaming mad

UA: All these feelings bubbling inside

TH: I acknowledge I feel this way

EB: I'm sick of pretending

SE: And stuffing it all inside

UE: For who???

UN: I'm only hurting me

UC: I'm exhausted!!

CB: I NEED to let some of this go

UA: But I don't know how

TH: I'll just keep tapping

EB: And tapping

SE: I feel the way I feel and that's it!

UE: I choose to express how I feel, even if only to myself

UN: That feels good

UC: I feel more relieved

CB: I choose to give myself permission to say anything to me about how I feel

UA: I choose to feel my feelings and let some of this pressure dissolve

You can also substitute whatever emotion you like into the set up statement and reminder phrases, such as fear, anxiety, stress, resentment, guilt, shame and so on. Stuffing anything down will make us feel like a pressure cooker waiting to go off, so the kind thing to do is to acknowledge how we feel - even if only to ourselves and use EFT to dissolve the charge.