Jamie Dandar McKinney, MBA, is an award-winning coach and the best-selling author of Speak Up, Sister! The Professional Woman's Guide to Confidence and Success. Recognized as an Emerging Training Leader and a Top Woman in Energy, Jamie jokes that her stilettos have steel toes.
Have you ever eaten a meal that just didn’t sit right? Maybe it was that time you gorged on sushi during a business trip to Seattle and felt like a protein brick took up residence in your gut. (Been there? Just me?)
Now, imagine emotions as food. Just like food, emotions need to be processed and digested, otherwise, they can leave you feeling heavy, stuck, and downright uncomfortable. While it’s easier to recognize the aftermath of a questionable meal than an unresolved emotion, the discomfort of unprocessed feelings can linger much longer and cloud your thinking.
Ready to digest this concept?
When you eat, your body gets to work, breaking down what you’ve consumed and extracting the nutrients it needs to function. Any leftovers? Your body has a system for those too. But emotions? They’re trickier. You can’t point to them like you would a slice of pizza and say, “That’s the problem right there.” They don’t come with a digestion manual or a nutrition label, yet they pile up in our mental and emotional “stomach,” weighing us down, interfering with clear thinking, and impacting productivity.
So, how do we avoid emotional indigestion?
Three ways to process emotions & keep critical thinking flowing smoothly
1. Chew on your feelings
Remember how your mom always told you to chew your food? The same rule applies to emotions. Take time to chew on them. Identify what you’re feeling, whether it’s anger, sadness, or joy. I recommend putting pen to paper. Breaking emotions down into manageable pieces makes them easier to process.
If your emotional vocabulary is limited, use the Feelings Wheel as your emotional antacid. I also suggest Brené Brown’s book Atlas of the Heart. She shares research, based on surveys of 7,000 people over five years, showing that most people can identify only three emotions in real time: happiness, sadness, and anger. The danger? Many emotions are left unprocessed. Brené generously maps out 87 more digestible emotions.
2. Move it through your system
Ever notice how a walk after a big meal helps? Movement is just as effective for emotions. Physical activity, a brisk walk, yoga, lifting heavy weights, punching a bag, or even dancing around your living room, can help release pent-up feelings. Exercise signals to your brain that it’s okay to let go and move forward. Plus, it’s hard to ruminate when you’re counting bicep curls.
3. Call in emotional enzymes
Digestive enzymes break down food, and supportive people do the same for emotions. A trusted friend, coach, or therapist can act as your emotional enzymes, helping you process what feels stuck. Talking it out with someone who listens without immediately trying to fix things can be surprisingly cathartic.
So, the next time you’re having a hard time thinking straight, check to see if an unprocessed lump of emotions is sitting in your gut. Be intentional about processing them. Just like a well-nourished body performs better, a well-managed mind sharpens your productivity and performance. Bon appétit!
Don't wait for permission to lead. Get leadership insights straight to your inbox, or book a Discovery Call today to take control of your next career move.
Your next level starts now.
Jamie McKinney, Leadership Coach l Speaker l Author
Jamie Dandar McKinney, MBA, is an award-winning coach and the best-selling author of Speak Up, Sister! The Professional Woman's Guide to Confidence and Success. Recognized as an Emerging Training Leader and a Top Woman in Energy, Jamie jokes that her stilettos have steel toes. After two decades in male-dominated industries, Jamie mastered building confidence as deliberately as building muscle and leading with authenticity. Through her dynamic programs, The 3 Pillars of Leadership and Speak UP to Level UP®, she empowers you to ditch doubts, amplify your voice, and propel your career. Get ready for results with Coach Jamie championing you!
