On being emotional

Why does ‘being emotional’ often have a negative connotation?

While this question has many possible answers, there’s one underlying reason that even I don’t like to admit.

We’re afraid of what those emotions indicate. The unknown, deeper issues scare us.

Instead of facing this fear, we often mask it with excuses and rationalize our response by attaching a stigma to the negative or more difficult emotions.

They’re just being dramatic. I don’t have time to deal with this. It’s not that big of a deal. Just get a grip and move on.

It’s easy to think if we just get rid of those pesky emotions, then we won’t have to worry about the deeper issues. We sometimes act similar to toddlers playing hide and seek who think that by covering their face with their hands, everyone else actually disappears.

Emotions are tough to sort through and we often don’t know what deeper cause we’ll find. But that doesn’t make them bad. On the contrary, emotions are one of the greatest aspects of being human because they help us see and experience what we would otherwise miss.