The Fulfillment Project - Mental & Emotional Health

Mental & Emotional Health: The Power of Processing Emotions

6-min-to-read

 Let’s start with a question:

How do you currently process emotions?

Do you have a effective methods, or do you more often fall into unconscious protective strategies like avoidance, distraction, and numbing?

Processing emotions—both everyday stressors and deeper past imprints—is essential for mental well-being. If emotions aren't processed, they don’t just disappear; they store in the body, influencing decisions, energy, and even physical health. Let’s break this down into two key areas:

1. Processing Everyday Stress

We all experience stressors like work deadlines, traffic, your partner chewing too loud, your housemates leaving dishes left in the sink, <insert your daily tasks here: _______________>.

These daily frustrations might seem minor, but when left unchecked, they add up.

Think of it like carrying a backpack. Each of your daily stressors (when left unchecked) represents a rock you put into the backpack that you carry. If you never unpack it, it just builds and builds, eventually it looks like this:

This is why, having a regular practice to process these moments is crucial. Here's one four step approach you could try:

• A = Awareness – Notice your emotional state without judgment by naming it. “I feel frustrated from that meeting.” Becoming aware is the first step in preventing emotions from running on autopilot.

• B = Breathe – Take 3-5 deep belly breaths, focusing on the exhale to signal safety to your nervous system. This helps shift you out of stress mode and prevents the stress hormones from overtaking your system.

• C = Connect to What’s Important – Ask yourself: “What truly matters here?” Maybe it’s maintaining good relationships, staying adaptable, or learning from the situation. Maybe there is nothing of significance and you are just in a mood -- that's fine too.  

• D = Decide – What needs to be true for you to let this emotion go? Are there responsible actions to take? Any words that need to be said? Often, once the emotion is acknowledged, there’s nothing more to do but release it. Decide what needs to happen to let it go.

If you practice this, you can eventually become an emotional ninja -- resetting your system whenever you need so that you show up at your best.  It's simple, but not easy.  

2. Processing Larger Unresolved Emotional Imprints, AKA Trauma

Deeper emotional imprints—whether from childhood, relationships, or major life events—requires a different level of attention.

This is where strategies with the help of quality practitioners come into play. Here's the thing—there are many approaches, often referred to as modalities, available to help you process these past traumas. There are also lots of different personalities and philosophies, and not one size fits all. It can become overwhelming very quickly. Here are three principles to help you through the overwhelm so that you find the people and practices you deserve.

1. Start Somewhere: Many people avoid seeking support due to overwhelm, doubt, or fear, defaulting to distraction and avoidance instead. But, just like carrying an overloaded backpack, unprocessed trauma from your past (and we all have it) will continue to loop in your life until you face it. Healing is messy, and you are worth it—so just start somewhere.

2. Be Patient – Finding the right support team is a process. Think of it like dating. You don't expect the first person you date to be "the one", so why would you expect that with your mental health care professional?  Keep dating until you find the right fit. Do your research and seek trusted referrals to increase your chances of success, but also trust that it takes trial and error. If a method or practitioner isn’t a match, don’t judge yourself or the process—simply move forward. It will take some time and some money, and you are worth it. Finally, trust your gut every step of the way.

3. Find the Root – Unresolved emotional imprints persist because every part of you, including unhealthy beliefs, has a natural will to survive. Negative beliefs and protective defenses formed from past trauma will cling to survival because they believe they are keeping you safe. They won’t release until they know you are safe without them. Finding the root cause, understanding why it formed, and validating that it’s no longer needed allows the emotional imprint to finally let go.

Healing isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about integrating it in a way that empowers your present. On the other side of healing is a fuller, more energic, lighter, and more capable you.     

Final Thought:

Unprocessed emotions don’t go away—they just wait for the right moment to resurface. The more intentional you are in processing daily stressors and past emotional imprints, the greater your ability to create peace, clarity, and resilience in your life. 

To your fulfillment,

Maurice

P.S. If you haven't yet found your support team, and you are ready, please reach out to me at [email protected]. I will be happy to give you a recommendation ("trusted referral") that will increase your chances of success in finding the right people and practices for you. 

Mental & Emotional Health Tools Of The Month

The Life Inventory Assessment™ & Life Planner Worksheets - Free Version

I've taken a slice of our full assessment so that you can do a deep dive reflection of just your mental and emotional health - at no cost. Gain insight into your Happiness, Time Alignment, Engagement, Capabilities, and Emotional Activation in your mental & emotional health, and access our life planner templates here: Click to Access

Support our Push-Up Challenge – Push for Better Mental Health

It's February, our Fulfillment Project Team is taking part in The Push-Up Challenge to push for better mental health outcomes in Canada. From February 11-28, we’re challenging ourselves to complete as many push-ups as possible in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

You can help by donating to our team here - no pressure and no minimum $$: Click to donate: The Fulfillment Project Team

Every push-up we do helps bring awareness and resources to mental illness recovery and positive mental health. Let’s push together!

The Life Inventory Assessment™ - Paid Version

When it goes to your mental and emotional health, I would not be an dumbass not to recommend that you to experience our full life assessment.

Awareness is the first step to any major transition. We must know it, or at least it's impacts, before we face it. With awareness we align to make better decisions, gain more energy, and enjoy more focus. This assessment is the system I train coaches to use, and the starting point in almost every one of my coaching engagements.

CLICK to Take Your Full Life Assessment

I am - Daily Affirmations

I recommend this daily dose of good vibes to fill you up. It's free, and a good source to fill your soul with positive message every day.

Click to Download on: Apple or Google Play

Behind The Scenes

My Personal Favorites: here is a list of  tried, studied, and trusted practices I've had direct experience with and many that I use directly, to effectively process past trauma: 

Hypnotherapy; The Life Fulfillment Method; Integrated Family Therapy; Somatic Meditation; Psychedelic Assisted Ceremony; NEDERA Processing;  Time-line Therapy; Accelerated Emotional Release Therapy. 

I'm also a huge believer in the power of immersive personal development retreats. I've attended many, and for the past 5 years I've been hosting a Transformation Retreat which has easily been the most impactful work I'm a part of it.  

In The Picture Directly Below - Two participants from my Find Flow and Activate Purpose Retreat last September. The coolest part about this photo? The bright-eyed, smiling woman, Beth, attended our 2023 retreat as a single woman, ready to open her heart to love again. Now, in 2024, she’s back—with the incredible man she met, fell madly in love with, and is building a full, vibrant life alongside. Talk about perfect timing!

Below Participants On Our Nature Walk During 2023 Transformation Retreat

Listen to a closing testimonial here: "It's Rare To Be So Seen & Heard"

Email me for learn about the 2025 experience I'm hosting: [email protected]