07/29/2026
Letting Emotions Out
Breaking the Piñata!
Imagine being able to capture all the emotions that you are holding inside, the ones which are associated with your grief, and then placing them into a piñata. Afterwards, taking a stick to break it open, releasing all that you have been holding in. Visualize the physical swinging of the stick, the breaking open of the piñata, and all your emotions spilling out. Releasing your stress this way would be cathartic!
Grief asks us to process emotions that we may have never felt before. While some people are better at processing and releasing emotions, others hold back which can delay the grieving process. When emotions which surface are held back, this can actually do damage. Unprocessed emotions get stored in our bodies and can affect how we think about ourselves and others, they can lead to fatigue and stress related illnesses and we may experience anxiety and depression.
So how do we break open the piñata and release these emotions?
First it is important to acknowledge and identify that these emotions are related to the grief you are experiencing. Feel the emotion and identify where it surfaces in your body. Often people who are grieving will feel sadness and it will come forward as a heaviness or tightness in their chest and throat or it may be expressed by tears.
Breathing into that space, the one where the emotions reside, sitting with the sadness, and then accepting that this is a normal reaction to the loss we’ve experienced can help us release and shift naturally. When we can show compassion to the emotions and to our tears, we are recognizing that the grief surfacing is necessary for the healing process.
So, try to better understand the true reason why these emotions are surfacing and if possible, let these feelings out as you experience them. Yes, we can break the piñata and release a flood of emotions all at once, but by dealing with emotions on an ongoing basis, it reduces overall stress levels and is more conducive to good grieving.
Margaret Lorrie Beaton, MA, C. Hyp
Bereavement Counsellor
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