This is another post about emotional health and recovery. Are we beating a dead horse by talking about the same subject? Maybe. I hope not. But seriously, emotions are a rich topic. We can talk about different aspects of emotions and recovery and not really talk about the same thing twice.

Speaking of emotions and talking, talking is a good way to get in touch with your emotions and the emotions of others. This sounds logical and simple, but as we know, it isn’t. But it’s one of the best ways to learn what other people are really thinking.

This can help improve our relationships. So many times, we think we know what other people are thinking or feeling, but we really don’t. Or we expect other people to know what we’re thinking or feeling, and might become angry if they don’t know.

That’s unfair. We can’t read minds. In fact, many times, we don’t know exactly what we’re feeling or thinking. Or, we might want to feel differently from how we’re really feeling, or we might try to deny what we’re feeling.

If we surprise ourselves with our emotions and our thoughts, it might mean that we don’t know ourselves as well as we thought we did. If we’re that ignorant about ourselves, how can we be expected to know what other people are feeling or thinking?

But if people share honest emotions with each other, they can discover each others’ true feelings without guessing or assuming. Sure, these emotions might be painful, but sharing them can help us really connect with other people. This connection can help us build new relationships. It can also help us restore old ones, especially if drug or alcohol abuse has damaged honesty, trust, and other positive aspects of our relationships.

Talking about our emotions can be difficult. But not sharing them can create even more difficulties.