My best friend and I found ourselves in the aisles of Goodwill after a day you could describe with all the negative words in the world. Before we knew it, we were buying stacks of glass plates and driving to the edge of town in the hopes of blowing off some steam. We’ve done this several times before but this time was different. Before each plate came crashing down, we labeled them. We’d speak our frustrations, insecurities, and built up emotions. We’d name them with the annoyances, pains, misery, and hurtful things going on in our lives. Then we’d smash those things one by one into a million pieces. We let go. We let it out. We forgave, moved on, released. We screamed a little, cried a little, and took huge sighs of relief after each worry was destroyed. It was so symbolic to physically smash those doubts, fears, angers. It was therapeutic.
At the same time, the sky was beautiful with light streaming through the clouds as if it were trying to tell us that there was hope for new beginnings. Hope for better days. Telling us that there is so much to be grateful for. We drove to the desert about to snap under the pressures of the world but we drove away, souls filled to the brim, overflowing with gratitude and joy.
I was conflicted about whether I wanted to share this because I want to hold this experience close to my heart but I also want to be authentic in my feed and share the bits and pieces of life that aren’t so perfect. Life is hard. Every day isn’t full of sunshine and rainbows. But a lot of it can be if we don’t let the pain consume us. I highly encourage you to go smash some plates. Go. Run. Don’t walk!! Stop suppressing all of the painful emotions and let it out in a healthy way so that you can move on to lighter, happier feelings of joy. Acknowledge, feel, and heal. Don’t let the pain control you. Don’t be a victim to life. Get up and do something about it. #RealityCheck
Later Edit: This is something we do often. When we have built up tension in our body from shoving the emotions down, we seek that release through this symbolism of smashing plates. I’ve taken other loved ones with me to experience this form of physically smashing the things eating away at you. It’s always interesting to me as I watch their burdens become lighter and lighter as they shatter each plate into a million pieces. If you look closely, you really can see a physical difference in the way they carry themselves. This visible vulnerability is bonding and creates silent connection.
As I move through life, I’ve come to realize that I can’t go smash plates every single time I need to express my emotions. Although I wish I could, it’s not reasonable. I’ve had to learn to develop the skill of facing those emotions head on, acknowledging and labeling them, and then releasing them or for symbolic purposes–smashing them–that way I can move on with my life and breathe again. I need this skill at any moment. I need to be able to pull it out of my pocket. I can’t keep letting things get stuck within my lungs. I have to breathe freely and let my life flow instead of emotions and tensions causing blockages for so long. So, as a form of self care, I honor my emotions on the daily instead of letting them build up. I feel deeper, I release easier, and I breathe freely.
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