2.10 Don’t repress or suppress emotions—process them

When we try to control emotions,

we often adopt two unhealthy approaches:

suppression or repression.

They sound similar, but they’re very different.

Suppression is conscious—

we know the feeling is there

but we push it down

and pretend it doesn’t bother us.

Repression is unconscious

—we bury it so deep

that we forget it even exists.

Both make our inner world a volcano zone:

emotions may erupt anytime.

Repression is more dangerous;

we don’t even know the volcano is there.

Suppression isn’t safer;

we exhaust ourselves trying to hold the lava in,

keeping our emotions not just contained

but also concealed.

Better than repressing or suppressing emotions

is processing them—

understanding what causes them,

in terms of both

outer triggers and inner wounds.

That’s exactly what the Bhagavad Gita (2.10) models.

When Arjuna breaks down in tears,

Krishna doesn’t silence him;

he helps him process his emotions

till he regains composure and confidence.