How To Deal With Emotions In A Healthy Way: 5 Biblical Strategies

Not sure how to deal with your emotions in a healthy way? 

Can you imagine a world without emotions? How do you think life would feel? Empty, lifeless, or just easier? Even though emotions can be overwhelming at times, they’re a beautiful part of who you are.

God designed you to feel, connect, experience life, and work with your emotions. Your emotions are meant to be your indicators, not your dictators.

By the end of this post, you’ll know how to recognize and navigate your emotions with confidence.

This post will be all about how to deal with emotions. 

Are you ready? Let’s geaux!

Facts Vs Feelings

Everything God has blessed you with has a purpose, including your feelings. But here’s the catch: Your feelings aren’t facts.

Your feelings can’t be a solid foundation for you to stand on because they fluctuate depending on what’s going on in your environment.

There are moments in your life where you may feel unworthy and insignificant, but that’ll never change your identity in Christ. Everything He speaks of you is truth because He is your Creator and only a creator can define His creation.

Think of your feelings like the warning lights on a car dashboard. They don’t control the car, but they alert the driver that something needs attention.

In the same way, your feelings indicate your needs. They should inform you, but not lead you.

How To Recognize Your Emotions

Recognizing your emotions is important when it comes to dealing with them in a healthy way. Here are some strategies to recognize your emotions:

1. Pay Attention To Your Thoughts

Proverbs 23:7a NKJV-For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. 

Your thoughts often shape how you feel. By monitoring your inner dialogue, you can uncover patterns in your emotions and recognize when they might be misleading you. 

Begin to pay close attention to your thoughts. If you can control your mind, it will be easier to manage your emotions.

2. Observe Your Patterns

Isaiah Berlin-To understand is to perceive patterns

How are you reacting or responding to the world around you? Are there any consistencies when it comes to you emotionally?

What is something that consistently makes you happy, mad, or even sad? How are you responding or reacting to God’s discipline in your life? 

Are you compliant or are you unwilling to obey His instruction?

{RELATED POST: How To Walk In Obedience To God: 7 Practical Tips You Need}

3. Practice Giving Your Emotions To God

1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV-Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 

God is always listening. He is your ever-present help in times of trouble. It’s okay to go to God with your feelings, in fact, He wants you to!

He says to cast your cares unto Him because He cares for you. Whatever is bothering you, you can discuss it with God.

Even when you experience happiness or excitement, celebrate those moments with God because He is your closest Friend.

4. Have Regular Heart Checks

Jeremiah 1:5 NIV-Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. 

A heart check is when you examine your life in light of God’s word. It’s a moment to reflect on the things that may need to be removed and replaced with God’s enlightenment.

Heart checks help you grow into your God-given character and you don’t have to do them alone.

Always be sure to invite God in and allow Him to lead the process. You can think of heart checks as a personal therapy session between you and the Father.

P.S- There is no need to be intimidated or ashamed within the the confinements of a heart check. God isn’t there to condemn you. He only wants to partner with you in your growth. 

Remember He knew you before you were in your mother’s womb and He is the one who has decided to walk with you until the end of age.

Our FREE Healthy Mental Mini Workbook serves as the perfect heart check. Grab yours NOW!

5. Identify Your Triggers

Proverbs 19:11 ESV-Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. 

What are the things that cause you to have strong emotional responses? It can be things from your past or words that were spoken to you previously.

You can identify triggers through prayer, self-reflection, or talking to a trusted friend or therapist.

6. Journal

Janette Rainwater-Writing in your journal gives you a chance to go back over your day and extract meaning from a hurried meeting with a friend of retrieve the significance of some fleeting event.

Journaling is a spiritual practice believe it or not. It can help you to see yourself, process your emotions, and track your growth overtime.

If you’ve never journaled before, you should think about adding this to your daily routine. You’ll be surprised at what can come out of just ten minutes of journaling.

7. Practice Finding The Silver Lining

James 1:2-4 NKJV-My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 

It’s easy to see the negative of situations right? But what about the positives? What about the many lessons you’ve learned?

As you go through life, start to analyze your situations to identify what went right. This can help you to shift your focus and start to see the beauty of life, instead of the doom and gloom.

How To Deal With Emotions In A Healthy Way

The ability to experience any emotion is a big deal. God gave you emotions for a reason and He wants you to be a great manager of them.

Here are five ways that can help you deal with your emotions in a healthy way:

1. Feel The Feelings

Romans 5:3-5 NKJV-And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produce perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

Being able to feel your feelings is extremely important. If you’re always trying to dodge your feelings, then you will never be able to be your authentic self.

Your feelings are not you, but they will always be a part of you. Don’t numb yourself especially when it comes to hard times. Hard times are necessary for your growth and development.

Tip To Feel Your Feelings: Take a moment to just sit with your feelings and observe them without judgement.

2. Get To The Root

Hebrews 12:15 NIV-See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 

It’s safe to say that many people are living through their past. Are you one of them? 

Once you acknowledge an emotion, take time to think about its root cause. If you find yourself sad all the time, begin to think about why.

Why do you always speak about “ the good ole days”? What about the things you’re doing now? Is life no longer enjoyable to you?

It’s time for you to get to the root so that you can understand why you’re living with those specific fruit.

Tip To Get To The Root: Pay close attention to “when” you feel that certain feeling. Prayerfully partner with God to discover the first time you felt that feeling.

3. Acknowledge Your Avoidance Patterns

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV-Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts u in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

What do you turn to when trying to numb your feelings? How do you ‘take the edge off’?

Some avoidance patterns could be binge watching tv, constantly on the move, talking on the phone for hours, neglecting alone time, not reading the Bible or praying, drowning yourself in music, overeating, excessively exercising, and more.

Begin to identify what you do to numb your feelings. 

Tip To Acknowledge Your Avoidance Patterns: When feelings arise, what do you go to? For me, it was food. I ate my feelings most of the time.

4. Witness Yourself Without Judgment

2 Timothy 2:1 NIV-You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  

Give yourself grace. You have been through a lot, and self-judgment will only pull you deeper into a cycle of negativity.

When you are in the moment of responding with your feelings, begin to see yourself as the child you once were. There is a reason behind why you respond the way that you do.

It may be because this was the only way you could survive! This is why getting to the root of your feelings is so important.

Tip To Witness Yourself Without Judgment: Tell yourself aloud that it’s okay your going through this and that you’re healing.

5. Reparent 

Ephesians 4:1 NIV-As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you received. 

Reparenting is a psychological practice where an adult learns to understand the needs of their inner child while becoming the parent they always needed. It’s an intentional journey of healing where you nurture yourself in ways you may not have experienced growing up.

This is your opportunity to see yourself through the eyes of the child you once were because that child still lives inside of you.

Maybe you lacked emotional support or the reassurance you needed. Reparenting will allow you to meet those needs with the help of the Lord.

There will be moments when painful memories resurface and times when old patterns arise, but you have to remind yourself of the new habits you’ve put in place.

Growth isn’t always comfortable, but God provides strength in the process. His love is constantly guiding you toward healing and wholeness in Him.

Tip To Reparent Yourself: I suggest that you read “How To Do The Work” by Dr. Nicole LePara. This book helped me on my journey and now that I say that I probably should read it again.

As you go about your journey of learning how to deal with emotions, I want to let you know that you are doing an amazing job. You aren’t the same person from a year ago and I know at times it can feel like nothing’s happening. Think about how far you’ve come, celebrate, and keep going. You are absolutely amazing and I pray these tips truly help you deal with your emotions. If this post has inspired you, drop a comment down below. We’d love to hear from you!

This post was all about how to deal with emotions. 

Always remember you’re destined to win because He got up!