In order to keep it together, we often hold everything in, especially our emotions and our fears. You may want to keep your emotions in check to keep your focus on the journey. My friend who trained for the same marathon that I was running, joked that she was going to wait to cry at the end of the marathon. She didn’t want to fall apart until she completed her journey. It can be very emotional when you cross that finish line. You are exhausted and happy at the same time.
If you keep it all inside, it may come out at the strangest times, in the strangest ways, or for the strangest reasons. I remember the night before the bar exam I went to the grocery store to buy deli meat to make a sandwich to take with me the day of the exam for the lunch break. When I asked for turkey and the man behind the counter told me they were out of it, I started to tear up. It wasn’t about the turkey.
While we sometimes need or want to control our emotions, it is also healthy to let them out. Whether it be watching a sad movie, listening to a certain song, dancing, reading a book, running, or venting to a friend, do something that helps you let it out. It can be unhealthy to keep it all bottled up. You can also write down how you feel. Just through that process you may feel better that you got it out and can move forward feeling a little lighter.