Pushing Past Pain: How Slowing Down Helps You Heal Emotionally and Spiritually

Emotional healing begins when we stop running from our pain. For years, I filled my schedule to avoid slowing down—working, managing, pushing through every feeling. But when I finally paused to work on myself, I discovered how much I had repressed beneath the surface. Hidden under busyness were years of unresolved emotions—pain, fear, disappointment, and exhaustion. It was the hardest yet most freeing experience of my life.

When everything surfaced, I didn’t know how to process it. I felt exposed, overwhelmed, and unsure where to begin. But through prayer, reflection, and support, I found peace. I learned to feel immediately rather than suppress emotions. I began asking myself, How does this make me feel? What is this emotion trying to reveal? That honest pause became sacred. In that stillness, I found my center again—in Christ—and began to relinquish the burdens I was never meant to carry alone.

Research supports the link between emotional repression and physical health. Studies from Harvard Health and the American Psychological Association show that suppressing emotions keeps the body in a chronic state of stress, increasing risks of inflammation, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Learning to process emotions, pray through them, and release them creates measurable improvements in emotional and physical wellness.

When we let go, we grow. When we process, we heal. So, what are you repressing? How do you release it?

The Mental Health Survival Series at www.mentalhealthsurvivalseries.com is an interactive activity book series for teens and young adults that teaches healthy emotional processing through guided reflection, mindfulness, and faith-centered resilience tools. Discover how to transform pain into purpose and find peace through awareness, reflection, and Christ-centered healing.