Making space for emotions

One of the most beautiful – and often frustrating – things about children is that they are unapologetically emotional.

Parents (myself included!!) often comment on how their toddler can be an emotional basket-case one minute, and happy-go-lucky the next. This is because children are masters at expressing, feeling, and moving through their emotions, so long as the adults in their lives allow them space to do so. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The truth is, we could all learn a lot from studying the way our children express emotion – it just comes naturally to them. They haven’t yet learned which emotions are “desirable” and which are not, and so they beautifully express a range of emotions. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This is really hard to conceptualize as adults because we have been conditioned throughout our lives to suppress the emotions that make people uncomfortable. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So as much as it’s critical to give space for your child’s emotions, it’s equally as important to give yourself space for your emotions, too (of course, in the company of other adults and not in competition with our children’s emotions). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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In their book 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵, Amelia and Emily Nagoski write, “Emotions are cycles that happen in your body. They are neurological events – not just happening in your brain, but in your whole nervous system – emotions are an involuntary neurological response. They have a beginning, middle, and an end.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Emotions are like tunnels – you have to go all the way through them to get to the light at the end. Exhaustion is what happens when we get stuck in an emotion.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I found this explanation to be so eye opening to better understand the importance of giving space for emotions, especially since I personally find this to be one of the most challenging areas of parenting. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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How do you feel about emotional expression?