Expression is a natural extension of who we are.
A fundamental mechanism for being in harmony with one’s self and the world around us.
Expression wipes the slate on a mental, emotional, and physical level.
Expression is spring cleaning for your well-being.
We literally need to express ourselves. It is in our nature as living beings.
Withholding expression creates dis-harmony. Internalizing leads to all kinds of dys-function and dis-ease. Everything which is held in will eventually bubble up and be released in some way, shape or form. Depending on the person and the severity of what is held inside, it will manifest in different forms. Things like anger, destructive habits, substance abuse, dis-ease, body imbalances, anxiety, irrational fears, introversion, weight gain/loss, ticks/twitches…etc will be the result.
Everything we internalize will manifest itself sooner or later. Remember that.
Take a second to be aware of the tension you’re holding in your scalp. Consciously relax your scalp and release the tension. Feel the difference? See how prolonged tension can lead to something like balding?
I guess NWA can stand for “Not Withholding Anything” in this case.
So why don’t we express ourselves like we should?
Well, there’s 2 main factors. Conditioning and caring too much about what other people think.
We were all told to stop running and yelling by our parents. We were all told to sit down and shut up at school. As a child, you’re assaulted with rules, do’s and don’t’s, should’s and shouldn’t’s , and social norms (whatever those things are). Over time, we become conditioned to never express ourselves and assimilate into the dull, gray cloud of normality.
We also care wayyy too much about what others think. Everyone wants to be “normal.” Everyone wants to fit in. Nobody wants to stand out. Why? Why deprive yourself of your brilliant uniqueness? Who said it’s cool to be an emotionless robot? Express yourself! Let your awesome out. Who cares what people think. When you express yourself, you give others permission to do the same. Because, deep down, everyone admires expressive people. Would you rather be an extra, blending in with the crowd, or a distinguishable character? Action.
When your thoughts are no longer influenced by others, you are truly free.
Children inherently express themselves. If they’re angry, they throw a tantrum and stomp around. If they’re sad, they cry. If they’re happy, they jump for joy. When was the last time you saw an adult doing something like this? Adults, after a lifetime of conditioning, remain stone-faced throughout everything. With all of these thoughts and emotions bubbling up inside.
Why so serious?
Animals also naturally express themselves. It’s ingrained in their being, but they haven’t been conditioned and “civilized” like us humans (even house pets retain most of their instincts). Animals never internalize any tension and marinate on it like us “sophisticates” do.
“Eckhart Tolle, the author of “A New Earth” and “The Power of Now,” offers us another view of “duckitude.” In both books, Tolle observes that when two ducks get into a tussle, they end it by flapping their wings and swimming off. As far as he can tell, they don’t stay mad – they don’t carry a grudge. They flap their wings and get on with life. The “duck lesson,” according to Tolle is “Flap your wings, which translates as ‘let go of the story.’” The human mind, in other words, often gets attached to THE STORY and relives it over and over again, thus, living mostly in the past and not in the present.”
^Got that from Urban Dictionary haha. And both of those books are great, by the way.
But unlike animals, we have the awesome ability to change ourselves for the better.
So what are some productive ways to say “duck it!” and let it all hang out?
- Exercise
- Shaking and vibrating
- Writing in a journal/diary
- Talking to people about what you’re feeling
- Meditation
- Singing
- Dancing
- Yelling, preferably not at someone else (vocal expression is severely overlooked)
- Humming
- Being physically abusive to inanimate objects (think about gorillas shaking trees if they’re upset). Punch a punching bag or something of the like.
- Cry (I’m lookin’ at you, tough guys)
- Screaming into pay phones on the street for no reason (I may or may not have done this on St Paddy’s day)
- Running/sprinting/jumping
- Painting/drawing
- Stretching
…The list goes on forever. You know what to do.
Just get into a habit of expressing yourself in some form. Don’t hold everything in. Just get it out. You’ll feel a whole lot better. It’s another way to stay Feelin’ Good, Feelin’ Great.
