Trapped Emotions

I suffered for over a decade with anxiety and depression but what it came down to was that I didn't know how sensitive I was to my emotions and the emotions of those around me.  I am easily empathic to others and struggled to separate what I was feeling from what others felt.  

What is an Emotion and how does it become trapped in our bodies?  How can I find and release those emotions so not to carry around that baggage?  How do I process current emotions to keep them from becoming trapped?  How to shield and protect?  How to be empathetic but not stay in the pit?  

I will cover these and more.