What does it mean to be a strong woman? According to the media, it can about fifty different meanings.
It can be a woman who never lets anything get to her, a woman who rises to the top of the professional hierarchy, or a woman who literally breaks weight-lifting records.
But what about the strong woman with emotional strength? Why don’t hear about her as much as the others?
Well we’re here to tell you that a strong woman with emotional strength should receive the same amount of praise as one with physical or professional strengths.
First of all, crying is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of humility — you are recognizing that you only human, and emotions will happen.
Trying to stay above them or ignoring them and you are ignoring your humanity…and this will always come back to bite you. Feeling jealousy does not mean you are unhappy with your own life.
The initial pang of envy you feel when a friend gets an amazing job offer, international opportunity or boyfriend is absolutely unavoidable. However, you can control you how much you dwell on that jealousy.
Jealousy can become an angry monster if left unattended. Make sure to talk about with a close friend who’s a “lockbox” (someone who would literally take your secrets to the grave) to keep its size intact.
Don’t be hesitant to complain about petty things. “But people are starving, so it doesn’t really matter” became my catchphrase for a while, and I used it in place of my whinings. It seemed like a choice that would make me happier, but over time, it did the opposite.
Although the things I was upset about were absolutely small and petty in nature, I was not letting me absorb and accept that emotion. Because of this, I adopted a false sense of “fineness”, or the belief that “I shouldn’t be upset about this so I’m not”.
If you don’t want to be seen as a petty, spoiled or negative person, choose one person you always rant to about these things (but make sure it’s not too often, as they have a life as well). It could be a significant other, your mom, or even a trusted co-worker that you can feel comfortable around.
Yes, petty things are petty. But if you don’t let yourself feel those petty emotions, they might grow into something ugly.
Being happy about your accomplishments is not the same thing as pride. If you made a new mile time, mastered a new fitness routine, or got a promotion that allows you to splurge on your favorite makeups, it’s not wrong to feel proud of your hard work.
If you find yourself falling into the trap of pride or hubris, turn those emotions into gratitude. Thank whoever helped make that accomplishment possible. This could be your parents who paid your rent while you struggled with an unpaid internship, a roommate who made sure you woke up for your shift, or a higher power.
Not only does gratitude keep your pride in check, but it can help you feel less awkward when people compliment you on all your accomplishments in a group setting.
We hope we’ve allowed you to feel your emotions more fully and truly. It does not benefit you to suppress them, but guiding them can get you farther than you realize.
