You Keep Avoiding Feeling Because You Don’t Have The Resources To Be With The Underlying Emotions
Tuning in to the different parts of you is an ongoing practice. It takes practice to notice the emotional tones in the body. It takes practice to allow the emotions to come to the surface, especially if you have learned to shut them down, numb out or just ignore them.
Or maybe you have learned to hide the particular emotion behind another emotion that is more “acceptable” to express. If you find yourself always feeling the same emotion or not even knowing what you are feeling, theres a big change that you’re not accessing your whole emotional range. Maybe someone told you that some emotions are ”bad” and should not be expressed. And even if all these actions and strategies have been useful to you at some point, the question you want to ask is:
Are these strategies really serving you right now?
Is there a particular behaviour pattern that keeps repeating for you when you feel certain way or are with certain people?
Is there particular tension pattern in the body that keeps repeating itself or shows up in/after certain situations?
Can you look more closely?
Can you sit with it for a little while?
Welcome it.
And just FEEL into it.
Breathe into it.
Sense the body.
Let it speak if it’s willing.
What is is saying?
Let other emotions speak if they are coming to the surface.
And truly listen without judgement.
If it feels a bit too much, sense your surroundings.
See where you are and note that you are safe in the here and now.
Feel the chair below you.
Hear the sounds around you.
If you can, continue staying with the body and the sensations.
Without needing to control, change or do anything else than just hold space for your experience.
Let the sensations shift and possibly bring some clarity.
Thank the body and the emotion for trusting you, at whatever extent you were able to welcome them.
