Emotions of any kind (happiness, sadness, disappointment, pride) can be difficult to process. Each individual is different, though each person often has certain emotions that can be hard to come in contact with. Thus, we might attempt to do everything in our power not to feel unwanted or intolerable emotions, leaving us detached, lonely, misunderstood, or angry. The good and bad news is our bodies know what they need. While our mind might get in the way of allowing ourselves to feel or process emotions consciously, our body still tries to get what it needs through parallel processes.
For individuals who identify as athletes, this can often manifest through exercise. When feeling disappointed, sad, rejected, or guilty, individuals who identify as athletes might turn to running, weightlifting, or other various workouts. It can feel cathartic or even be a space to escape our minds and bodies and remove ourselves from the difficult feelings stirred up. The irony is that you might create a similar bodily response for your workout. If sadness or disappointment feels intolerable or like an unwanted emotion, you might find yourself pushing yourself so hard working out that you are short of breath, wheezing, with a tight chest and racing heartbeat. This physiological experience is quite similar to how your body might react if you were crying, bawling, and experiencing sadness or disappointment to its full extent. Notice how there are similarities to the relief, comfort, or solace you might feel after a workout, similarly to how one might feel after expressing their emotions after a great loss? Weird, huh?
We know what we need, though it can be difficult to allow ourselves to get what we desire when the fear of intolerance overcomes us, especially for those with athletic or goal-oriented mindsets. Thus, our bodies manifest situations where we can physiologically process certain emotions through a familiar, nonthreatening process (like working out). While this is a wonderful cathartic release, this is not always the healthiest way of processing and can, unfortunately, reinforce dissociation or avoidance as a means of dealing with difficult emotions or situations. In these moments, the mind and body can be detached, which is confusing and conflictual.
Thus, presence and connection can be our best ally in moments of conflict or confusion. Rather than working out to escape our minds and bodies, working out can become a space where we connect with ourselves—strengthening the mind-body connection and allowing us to process our experience fully. This is not to say you shouldn’t utilize a meaningful coping style like working out, but rather the opposite. Lean into the process and attempt to remind yourself that problems are not always meant to be solved but worked through. Along these lines, I refer to these angry or cathartic workouts as “workthroughs,” as the workout is the space where you are processing, not accomplishing. Sometimes, the best way out is through. Thus, I encourage you to begin to allow more presence during these cathartic workouts. Be open to what your body is experiencing. Unlike athletics, there is no one correct way of processing emotions. It only necessitates presence and openness to something new.
Photo Credit:
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
Photo by Brian Erickson on Unsplash
