Emotions

“What do I do with my emotions?” said the Stag.
“Don't let anyone see”, said the Rat.
“What happens when you sit with them?” said the Wren.

The River flowed.

What to do with emotions. You feel something uncomfortable.

Your instinct is to hide it. Stay in control. Don't let it show. Don't let anyone see.

But hiding takes constant effort, and the emotion doesn't actually go anywhere.

It just gets compressed. Dampens everything (not just the discomfort, but joy, connection, presence). All of it flattens when you're holding tight.

And it leaks anyway. Into your decisions (dressed up as logic), into your body (tension that won't shift), into how you show up with people in your life that matter.

Hiding emotions isn't a strength.

It's a defence, and defence exhausts you. What happens when you sit with them instead?

The emotion moves.

Doesn't need to be managed or hidden. Just acknowledged, felt, allowed to pass through.

What's left is clarity. Presence. Energy not spent on compression.

The River doesn't hide. It just flows.

Stories from the Vltava River.