I once heard that depression was anger turned inward. After a decade of working through my own depression, I’ve discovered that both depression and anxiety are caused by unprocessed emotions. In a society where we’re encouraged to numb our feelings instead of feeling them, depression and anxiety are ubiquitous issues. Men are often taught that it’s not okay to show emotions, especially sadness and fear. They are told to toughen up, to take it like a man, to suffer in silence. Women are also expected to repress their feelings. When we don’t, we’re called hysterical, crazy, and emotionally unstable. There’s so much pressure on everyone to be happy, successful, and “put together” that we ignore the messages of our emotions to our own peril. Well, today I’m here to give you permission to feel your feelings and to express them. If you’ve been wronged, you have the right to get angry. Stand up for yourself. Speak up for yourself. If someone else doesn’t like it, that’s their problem. Don’t let your anger sit inside of you eating away at you from the inside out. Ask yourself if there is anything constructive you can do to right the situation. If there’s nothing positive you can do, give yourself ten minutes to feel and express your anger. Move your body to release the excess energy. Scream. Do whatever works best for you. I give myself time to cry. I can’t change the past, but I can visualize my tears washing away the pain. My tears were unproductive earlier in my life because I didn’t know what I was crying about. Expressing emotions requires Awareness of how you feel and why you feel that way, Admitting to yourself and to the universe how and why you feel wronged, and Acknowledge that you’re hurt because you believe that you deserve better (or that you can do better if you’re upset with yourself). In this way, our emotions become our servants rather than our tormenters.