Jungle view from the lounge on my balcony where I lie down and feel my feelings
30 November 2022 · Emotions
Feeling my feelings
Even though I’ve committed to feeling my feelings, part of me keeps dodging the exercise. When any contraction comes, usually in the form of fear, anger, or sadness, “do something else!” the part of me says, “anything!”. But I’m learning to say (often to the little girl living inside me):
Hey darling, I understand you want to avoid this, but come and feel it instead. During it you will feel terrified, but afterwards you will feel nourished.
Then the idea is to follow these steps:
(1) Stop running around doing things. Put down the phone, the book, the podcast. Put down the fork. Pause. Get super still.
(2) Invite the feeling. Notice the sensations in your body – the heart, the chest, the shoulders, the belly. Tightness, heaviness, density, knots. Be with the feeling. If it could speak, what would it say? Can you lend an ear?
(3) Act or accept. If a situation is within your control, act to improve your experience. Otherwise, accept your life as it is, love what’s here. Everything is happening for you to evolve.