It is human nature to adopt either "fight" or "flight" in response to emotionally charged situations such as heated arguments. Depending on your personality you may either stand your ground to defend yourself or you may have some restraint and leave to avoid a bigger scene. Some people find themselves in front of a more dominant individual who is often taller, louder and very articulate that they are forced to just stand and "take it". These are the people who leave with their side of the story unheard and their emotions bottled up inside them, festering and frequently manifesting physically into an illness.

Bottling up your emotions is not healthy. We all know people who do this from time to time. They end up bitter and filled with hatred that it sometimes consumes them and makes them not very pleasant people to be around. Everybody needs to be heard, consoled or acknowledged at some point. When this is not given, it can be harmful to your self esteem and can lead to depression.

There is a very simple and effective way to release those bottled up emotions that is often overlooked or dismissed: Writing. Putting your feelings down on paper not only enables you to begin unloading your emotional baggage, it also allows you to process the situation so that perhaps you may a) gain objectivity, b) understand the other person's point of view, and more importantly c) be free to move on with the more important and pleasant things in life. Plus, if you do this regularly in the form of a journal it makes a fascinating read many years later.

If you are musically talented, another powerful way to vent is through songwriting. Not only is it a release, it is a way to take that negative energy and be creative with it positively. The song may be dark in subject or it may have some explicit lyrics but you will have fun putting it together and feel empowered every time you perform it or listen to the recording. Sometimes it may be a song that no one else will hear, but that is fine. It would have served its purpose.

When you let go of the hurt or anger or frustration within and are no longer carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, you will feel much happier with life. Your smile will generate opportunities and with the bad experiences behind you, you can also begin to help other people.

Marco Fratelli is a webmaster at , a free women's health resource.