The balloon metaphor can be used for any feeling that we don’t allow ourselves to feel or process. I’ll use anger as an example.
Imagine that every time you feel angry, you blow air into a balloon. The angrier you feel, the more air goes in. If you never let any air out: by (for example) talking about your anger, processing it, allowing yourself to feel it, or responding to yourself with kindness about your anger; eventually the balloon becomes so full that it bursts.
Often, it doesn’t burst when you are at your angriest. It bursts because you have been containing so much anger for so long that you’ve reached your limit.
If this feels familiar, it may help to notice what happens when you feel anger.
Do you allow yourself to feel it and acknowledge it?
Or do you push it down and try to ignore it?
Do you feel guilty when you feel angry?
If you do, you’re not alone. In our society, many of us are taught that anger is a “bad” emotion and that we shouldn’t feel it. But anger is actually a very important feeling.
Anger can be a signal that something is or feels wrong, unfair, or hurtful. It often shows up to protect us, to highlight our needs, boundaries, or values, and to let us know when something doesn’t feel right.
With this in mind, do you feel you could try to offer yourself kindness when you feel angry?
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