Impression Without Expression Leads to Depression

Have you ever heard the saying, “impression without expression leads to depression?”

I used to believe depression existed because my emotions were too heavy…too dense to process.

The grief was too big.

So I was afraid to let it all the way in. What if it swallowed me whole? A part of me didn’t trust I could survive my pain.

I'd let myself feel some of my grief and then push away the rest. Over time, I got really good at wearing the “I’m great!” mask.

Although what I came to learn is that stuffing it down - pushing it away - was actually WHY I felt so bad. 

Energy is meant to flow through our body like water through a faucet. When we cut off an emotion like grief or shame, we also block our full capacity for joy and connection. 

Day by day, year over year I became less and less of myself. Until one day, out of sheer desperation (bc frankly, my self sabotage gremlin was really making a mess of things).

I decided enough was enough.

I braced myself for a tsunami of tears and heartache. 

"Oh god, here we go..." 😖

And then something surprising happened.

I came to find that my heart wasn’t actually broken. It had simply cracked wide open -- bigger than ever before. And like a seed that had been germinating in long winter rains, it began bursting open magnificently in all directions.

Expanding my capacity to hold LOVE - bigger, bolder, more deeply, more authentically.

So now when grief comes knocking, I close my eyes, soften my belly and take a full breath in, because I know my heart is about to bloom. 🌹