E-Motion First Aid Kit

I learned that emotions are ‘energy in motion’ (e-motions), and depending on their vibrational frequency, they can be either beneficial for your health or potentially harmful. Understanding this has been transformative for me, because it means I can do something with that energy: either release it if it’s toxic or fully embrace and nurture it if it’s a beautiful, uplifting one. When I first started getting curious about my emotions, ‘sitting’ with them was very uncomfortable but with time and by building my own ‘toolbox’, it has become the most healing and self-revealing practices.

I first learned about this concept through a documentary featuring some of my favorite personal development teachers, like Joe Dispenza. They explain in detail what emotions are, where they come from, how they act in our bodies, and what they can do, or fail to do, depending on how we manage them. If you’re curious, here’s the link to watch it on Gaia, and here’s a YouTube link if you don’t have a Gaia account.

Why I Built My Own Toolbox

The heart is our source of true wisdom and intuition

A spiritual teacher once told me that “emotions are heart messages”; they’re signals from the subconscious asking us to pay attention. The thing is, it’s not always easy to know what an emotion is really trying to say sometimes there are so many layers covering it that it’s hard to get to the truth underneath.

That’s why, in my healing journey, building a toolbox has been so important. It’s what helps me remove those layers and get closer to the message my heart is sending me. Most of the time, I don’t understand it right away. But with patience, as I keep peeling back the layers, I eventually get to the core and there, I always find wisdom that was waiting for me.

Building my own set of emotional tools has been essential for knowing how to meet my feelings when they arise. We all experience emotions differently, but the goal is to have resources that help you move through them, not just cover them up. Coping mechanisms, whether they’re addictions or habits we use to “mask” what we feel, often keep us stuck. A toolbox, on the other hand, does the opposite: it offers healthy ways to face your emotions, work through them, and come out with greater clarity. Each time I do, I’ve gained freedom, self-awareness, and a deeper understanding of myself.

This is especially important for what we often label as “negative” emotions. I also have a toolbox for positive ones, which I’ve noticed makes me more heart-centered, grateful, and energetic. But in this blog, I’m focusing on the tools I use for the more difficult moments.

Inside My Toolbox

I use specific tools depending on the emotion I’m experiencing. I like to think of so-called “negative” emotions as a tight knot, each time I allow myself to fully go through them, the knot loosens, untangles, and sets me free. Here are some of the tools I’ve found most helpful:

Love is the highest frequency

1. Heart-Brain Coherence: It’s all about the heart (0.1Hz)

When fear, sadness, or worry throw me off balance, I return to a practice that’s become a key part of my self-regulation: Heart-Brain Coherence. I first learned it from a Gregg Braden video I found on YouTube (here's the link); in it, he shares a simple three-step technique that has stayed with me ever since:

Step one: shift awareness inward Close your eyes and let your attention move from the outer world to your inner world. Place your hands on your heart and gently focus on the place where you feel that touch.

Step two: slow your breathing Inhale for about 5 seconds and exhale for about 8 seconds, making your exhale longer than your inhale. (This signals to your body that you are safe).

Step three: focus on elevated emotions Call in feelings such as gratitude, compassion, or appreciation, and imagine sending this signal from your heart to your brain. Positive affirmations can help.

During the day, I sometimes find it harder to slow down enough to practice fully, so I often do it at night before sleeping or first thing in the morning. I’ll get into bed, put on my headphones, and play heart–brain coherence frequencies (like this one), then move through the three steps. And when I’m in a public place and feel the need to self-regulate I just keep my eyes open, skip the music, and simply use the breathing and heart focus to calm my nervous system.

Each time, the experience is different, sometimes I feel deep relief, other times a wave of pure compassion for myself and in other moments tears come, and I just embrace them as a natural release.

Love is the highest frequency we can connect to, and this practice helps me connect into that energy. Love is healing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and that’s why this tool is so powerful for me.

2. Going Crazy :P

No one has to know, no one has to see you and doing it is incredibly relieving. At times of anger, powerlessness, anxiety, or frustration, simply sitting with the feeling doesn’t always work for me. In those moments, I feel a strong need to physically get it out of my system.

If I feel the emotion sitting heavy in my chest, screaming helps release it. If it’s in my arms and legs, punching a pillow feels like the right outlet. (I’m laughing as I write this because I remember my dog, Khala, being the only witness to these moments, staring at me with total confusion.) Also, I once went with a friend to a place that gives you full gear so you can smash things, break bottles, bash old TVs and it was surprisingly fun and therapeutic. Having a punching bag at home and going all in is another great option.

When left unprocessed, emotions can cloud the lens through which we see life.

I grew up being taught to suppress the “bad emotions.” It wasn’t okay to be angry or to express it, even in a healthy way. But when you bury anger, it grows inside you, and that buildup eventually turns into something much more damaging… So I’d rather seem a little “crazy” for doing this than keep that toxicity bottled up. Releasing it makes me feel lighter, clearer, and hence, more able to show up for others.

This practice has also given me more clarity about the situations that trigger my anger, helping me see them from a different perspective, generate compassion for myself and others, and, sometimes, simply let them go. Often, it’s anger about a situation I can’t control or about someone’s actions when I can’t even speak to that person. And even if I could, what would truly change? That’s why, instead of trying to control situations or people, I’ve found it far more powerful to change my inner world, first by releasing the emotion that blurs my perception, and then, from a place of calm, allowing myself to see it differently.

3. Intentionally Reliving the Trauma & Purifying

Through tears, the body drains heaviness and finds purification

I’ve found that allowing myself to cry 'uncontrollably' can be a powerful form of purification. Sometimes I intentionally replay the scene, the words, the person, or the memory over and over in my mind, all while holding the image of that “knot” I mentioned earlier. I remind myself that the more I allow myself to fully feel it, the more I move toward healing and, surprisingly, that in itself can feel good. Many times, I also find myself wrapping my arms around myself, as if to say, “I’ve got you,” reminding me that I can be my own safe place, feeling a deep sense of compassion and support, and tuning into the healing love frequency I mentioned earlier.

A couple of years ago, someone told me, “There are situations you never get over, you just learn to live with them.” It made so much sense, because you stop trying to force it to go away and instead realize you can keep going. Sometimes, crying about something isn’t about dwelling, it’s about making peace with it and allowing yourself to “live with it” in a way that feels lighter. So for me, crying is both purifying and freeing. It softens the weight of the memory, cleanses the emotional residue, and opens space for me to move forward.

4. Nature Heals

I love parks. I love being outdoors, taking my shoes off, and feeling the earth directly beneath me. When I’m feeling heavy, emotional, or just in need of fresh air, I head to a park, take off my shoes, and lie down on the grass. With my feet touching the grass directly and my hands over my heart, I imagine all the emotions I’m holding being gently pulled out by Mother Earth, transformed into love, and then sent back into my heart. I stay there for as long as I feel like sometimes with headphones playing healing frequencies, other times simply listening to the wind, the birds, and the sounds around me.

There’s actually quite a bit of science behind grounding (also called earthing) the practice of making direct contact with the Earth's surface, such as walking barefoot on grass or sand. The idea is that it allows the body to absorb electrons from the Earth, which may positively affect health and well-being. This is how I practice it, and I can truly say it has worked for me.

The earth absorbs our weight and returns calm.

5. Non-Stop Journaling Session

I practice two types of journaling. The first is part of my daily routine. I love getting a special journal book for this one. First thing in the morning with my cup of coffee. I start with gratitude, then write about whatever feels natural in that moment, and close by asking for direction, wisdom, or anything else I feel I need to carry with me throughout the day.

The second is my emotional release journaling, the one I turn to when I’m feeling intense sadness, anger, or any emotion too big to keep inside. For this, I usually keep a small notepad with me so I can write anywhere, or I simply use whatever I have on hand, even a napkin. Journaling might sound cliché, but it truly works. It’s about spilling everything in my mind onto paper, giving myself permission to speak freely and release things I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying out loud to anyone. It’s a private, safe space where I can place my words right in front of me and let them go.

When I’m in one of those strong feeling moments, I write non-stop for as long as I need. Literally, no breaks, no overthinking, no worrying if it makes sense, or if I misspell. I just let it all pour out.

Your toolbox is not about avoiding pain, but about transforming it into wisdom, strength, and compassion

So those are some of the tools I turn to when difficult emotions arise or when I’m going through a difficult moment. We all face challenges, that’s part of life, but building my own go-to toolbox has been essential in helping me navigate and move through them. What works for me might not work the same for you, but I encourage you to explore and discover what truly supports you. Having your own set of tools can make all the difference, and keep you from falling into unhealthy ways of coping during hard times.