At some point in our lives, we have all had bad experiences or have not been touched by traumatic situations that have caused us great emotional suffering . When we are immersed in one of these delicate and difficult situations we may think that we are not going to recover, that we have hit rock bottom.

However, we can take actions that will allow us to minimize the pain and recover, even if it is little by little, from the difficult moments we have to live.

In this article we present some keys that will help you to overcome emotional suffering.

Emotional pain and its characteristics

Emotional pain hurts the same as physical pain . This is what is demonstrated by many neuroimaging studies (Jaffe, 2013), which state that the regions involved in processing physical pain are the same as those for emotional pain and social distress.

This type of pain is a subjective experience, and unlike physical pain, the wound is not seen. There are different reasons that cause great emotional or psychological suffering: lack of love, leaving a city and friends behind, losing one’s job, etc. Whatever the cause, it is necessary to know how to manage change correctly and to possess the tools and resources that help to overcome the suffering appropriately.

Tips for Overcoming Emotional Distress

Emotional suffering can appear at any time in our lives, and can last more or less depending on how we deal with it. In the following lines we leave you with a series of tips that will help you overcome the pain that appears in the difficult moments of our lives.

1. Recognizes suffering

It is not easy to recognize that we are having a hard time or that we are not at our best, partly because we live in a very demanding society and in which emotional suffering is synonymous with a weak person. But in order to overcome this pain it is necessary to recognize it first and not avoid our own emotions , because although they are not positive, they can warn us that something is not right.

When we do not want to face reality, what we are doing is chronifying the suffering and avoiding our recovery.

2. Treat yourself with compassion

When things go wrong for us, we tend to be very critical of ourselves. This behavior is not conducive to our recovery at all. Treating ourselves with care is certainly one of the best ways to reduce emotional suffering.

We are not perfect people and life has its good moments and bad moments . Accepting this is the best way to move towards mental well-being. Compassion is not only about treating others with love, but also about treating ourselves well even if things don’t turn out the way we want them to. If we accept ourselves as we are and treat ourselves with love, we can learn from life’s negative experiences and suffer less.

  • You can learn more about the benefits of compassion in our article: “Compassion: A Basic Tool in Our Relationships”

3. Accept that there are people who don’t understand you

It is easy to believe that others will empathize with your suffering, but this is not always the case, so you must accept it . However, there are sensitive individuals who will understand you because they are sensitive or have gone through similar situations. In addition, there are people with high emotional intelligence and others who do not.

4. Be honest with yourself

When we delude ourselves, we are avoiding dealing with the problem. As I said in the previous point, to overcome emotional pain it is necessary to recognize and accept it, and to do so, first of all, we must be honest with ourselves.

But it is not only possible to be self-confident in order to improve mental well-being, but also to have the support of people close to you with whom you can talk and verbalize your thoughts, which also helps .

5. Value the people who are there for you

It is in the difficult moments that we can really see who is there for us and who is by our side. So, when we are aware of the people who really care about us, we should keep them. We should be grateful , because not everyone will lend us their shoulder unconditionally when things are not going well.

6. Find the reason for your suffering

When you have accepted the situation and are ready to face it and are aware that the people around you are there for you, find out what is causing you discomfort and think about the cause of your suffering. Perhaps the problem has a solution, so it is possible to remedy it .

7. Attend a course on emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is one of the most fashionable paradigms of psychology today. This term, which became fashionable thanks to Daniel Goleman, has shown that it brings many benefits to people. You can learn about them if you take a look at our article: “The 10 benefits of emotional intelligence”.

Emotional intelligence is composed of five elements: emotional self-knowledge, emotional regulation, empathy, social skills and self-motivation. Fortunately, it can be learned. In our article: “The 6 best courses of Emotional Intelligence and Personal Development”.

8. Mindfulness beam

Mindfulness is an ancestral practice that is very fashionable nowadays , since scientific research has shown that it increases people’s well-being and reduces emotional suffering. It consists of the application of some basic principles, such as: being in the present moment, treating oneself with compassion, adopting a non-judgmental mentality, etc.

  • To learn more: “Mindfulness: 8 benefits of full care”

9. Go to the psychologist

If you are having difficulty overcoming emotional suffering despite doing your part, you may want to see a psychologist. This mental health professional will help you find the reason for the problem and give you tools that you can use to improve your well-being.

  • Going to the psychologist brings you a number of benefits. You can find out more in our article: “The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy”