Often when we seem to be in the middle of a tough situation, we can't help but feel sad or angry or afraid. Our society tells us these feelings are bad things so we try to avoid them at all costs. We distract ourselves from the situation. We work harder to fix the problem (often just making ourselves more tired in the process instead of finding a solution). Sometimes we even deny there is a problem! Needless to say, we are not a society that deals well with our feelings.
The problem comes from the fact that our feelings/emotions are very powerful things. Unlike our minds, feelings work at the deep subconscious level and they can be difficult to access and change. We all have firsthand knowledge of how difficult it can be to try to rationalize our feelings away.
Why is this? Imagine your body is a gigantic sensory organ (which is is!). It picks up on all the energies in your environment, whether they be visible or invisible. Your body processes this input and stores it as feelings! Typically, this is the point where we distract ourselves, put our noses to the grindstone or go into denial. None of these options are particularly effective because each one serves to block your energy flow!
So what do we do with these powerful feelings once we have them? Allow them to exist instead of struggling to resist them. We do this with the process of sitting with our feelings.
Once you acknowledge that you have that feeling, don't try to banish it or ignore it. Allow yourself to sit there and experience it. Let yourself feel it in your head, your chest, your stomach, your arms, etc. until you have allowed it to fill your entire body. What does it feel like? Does it hurt? Does it grow? Does it dissipate?
In my own personal experience, when I allow myself to feel my emotions they lose their power to hurt and destroy me. Sitting with my feelings has allowed me to see them as smaller and much more manageable than I ever dreamed possible. They do not overwhelm me. I understand I am so much more than those feelings.
Once I get over the initial rush of emotion, I can begin to ask my body what awareness or understanding it is trying to give me. This is not always easy, but the longer you sit in the question the more you come to understand. Forgive yourself if you don't get it right away. Many of us have been ignoring our bodies and feelings for so long it takes time to hear them again.
The next time your find yourself in the throes of a strong emotion, allow yourself the opportunity to sit with the feeling. You may just find it is not the monster of your nightmares but the answer to your problems.
The problem comes from the fact that our feelings/emotions are very powerful things. Unlike our minds, feelings work at the deep subconscious level and they can be difficult to access and change. We all have firsthand knowledge of how difficult it can be to try to rationalize our feelings away.
Why is this? Imagine your body is a gigantic sensory organ (which is is!). It picks up on all the energies in your environment, whether they be visible or invisible. Your body processes this input and stores it as feelings! Typically, this is the point where we distract ourselves, put our noses to the grindstone or go into denial. None of these options are particularly effective because each one serves to block your energy flow!
So what do we do with these powerful feelings once we have them? Allow them to exist instead of struggling to resist them. We do this with the process of sitting with our feelings.
Once you acknowledge that you have that feeling, don't try to banish it or ignore it. Allow yourself to sit there and experience it. Let yourself feel it in your head, your chest, your stomach, your arms, etc. until you have allowed it to fill your entire body. What does it feel like? Does it hurt? Does it grow? Does it dissipate?
In my own personal experience, when I allow myself to feel my emotions they lose their power to hurt and destroy me. Sitting with my feelings has allowed me to see them as smaller and much more manageable than I ever dreamed possible. They do not overwhelm me. I understand I am so much more than those feelings.
Once I get over the initial rush of emotion, I can begin to ask my body what awareness or understanding it is trying to give me. This is not always easy, but the longer you sit in the question the more you come to understand. Forgive yourself if you don't get it right away. Many of us have been ignoring our bodies and feelings for so long it takes time to hear them again.
The next time your find yourself in the throes of a strong emotion, allow yourself the opportunity to sit with the feeling. You may just find it is not the monster of your nightmares but the answer to your problems.
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