You might be "putting off" tending to your difficult emotions, hoping they will go away. Yet, when you delay holding a loving presence for your emotions they will go into deep storage in your body, only to create much more distress down the road.
This is why I encourage people to take time to quietly sit with their emotions every day. Even 15 minutes a day of gentle inner attention can begin the emotional unravelling process.
Long suppressed emotions have tremendous power. It takes courage to turn within and face all the layers of emotions that you have been unwilling or unable to "sit still" with in the past. We live in a world that does not encourage emotional awareness, so it is easy to find reasons to numb and distract ourselves. So, even as your emotions simply long to be felt, honoured and accepted, you might often tuck them away, hoping they will go away. But, they never do.
At a certain point, you will become so accumulated with layer upon layer of unfelt emotions, it can become hard to practically function. Setting aside time to sit gently in the heavy emotions you have been afraid to feel is terrifying to your nervous system at first. But, you can practice getting used to strongly "turning toward' what feels painful.
When feeling emotionally overwhelmed it helps to place one hand upon your heart while turning your attention within. When a difficult emotion arises, you can welcome it - if only for a few minutes in the beginning. When you pay attention to your painful emotions they will provide new information about how to better live your life. Spending time with your emotions invites new insights that you cannot access when you stuff your emotional discomfort into deep storage within.
Daily Dedication to Emotional Awareness
1. Sit or lay down in a comfortable quiet place.
2. Place your hand on your heart.
3. Affirm to yourself, "I am going to take 15 minutes to feel my emotions.
4. Pay attention to where the discomfort (or good feelings) feel active in your body.
5. Place your other hand on the part of your body that feels emotionally activated.
6. Invite the emotional discomfort into your heart by sliding your two hands together.
7. Say "I love you" or "I see you, feel you, and hear you" to your difficult emotion - as many times as necessary - until you feel a sense of relief.
Loving all of your emotions unconditionally begins the healing process. This daily process will help you to feel lighter and freer as you practice.
With love,
Shelley