In the first moments, your new little one seems more like an alien than a bundle of joy, but after a bath for baby and a few deep breaths for the new parents, your little angel looks their part. Their little red face is all scrunched up, and the sounds that voice from their puckered little mouth are the most precious notes you could ever hope for. You ache any time the nurses take them for tests, and you deny offers from well meaning friends and family who offer to hold them while you get some sleep. All you want to do is be with your new baby, and you'll forego food, water and sleep to do just that! Bottled Up Emotions
An emotion is a mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes. Experiencing and expressing emotions are a vital part of life. The expression of emotions come easy for some but, for others, emotions are difficult to express effectively. So why is it easier for some people to express emotions and harder for others?
At a very early age, parents taught us how to express our emotions and the cause of how we dealt with them was largely due to how we were encouraged or discouraged to manage these emotions.
For instance, if a parent tells a child that he or she “shouldn’t be mad” or “be sad” about a particular situation a child will begin to suppress those emotions. If a parent encourages a child to talk about his or her experience that child will learn that it is alright to express his or her emotions.
As children we may have learned about our emotions and how to express them from watching other’s emotional reactions to their feelings. We may have watched our parents display outbursts of anger, or withdraw and give the cold shoulder.
Much is to be said for how parents teach each gender. An example is that many parents teach a boy that it is not right to cry and to be a man. And in society, that is held true. People accept if a woman cries, but a man, no way! Generally speaking, it is not okay for a man to be sensitive or touchy feely with emotions.
Experiences in life often are factors in determining how one expresses their emotions. If a woman is being controlled or abused, she will bottle up her emotions and withdrawal into her shell. For others, emotions are not managed and individuals go out of control. Either way, this is not natural and help should be sought out.
Every day, no matter what age we are, we live our lives with feelings and emotion, and we could feel all types of emotions within any given day. There are sorrows, excitement, joys and disappointment, also love and fear, dismay and hope.
We, as parents of new born babies and toddlers, must be good role models in teaching them how to handle emotions. We are the individuals that our young children look upon. They learn from copying our actions and emotions.
Teach our young children how to handle their emotions and don’t teach them to suppress them. Take them by the hand and lead them along the path of life in a postive way.
When it comes to touchy feely emotions such as love, gratitude, or remorse, some people have a difficult time expressing them verbally. Instead of expressing these emotions verbally, something is given as a way to express these types of emotions.
Why not express your emotions today? Wrap up your emotions and send them in a welcome baby gift basket, thank you gift basket or a gift basket for “just because.” Surprise the recipient and verbally express your emotions too! Don’t bottle up your emotions, say it!
