Jun 13 • General discussion
🌿 Wellness Wednesday – Week 20: Letting Feelings Pass
Many of us have been taught that uncomfortable emotions are problems to solve, avoid, suppress, or immediately change. When sadness, anxiety, anger, disappointment, or fear show up, our first instinct is often to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
Emotions are not permanent states. They are experiences that move through us. The more we resist them, the more they often persist. The more we allow them, the more space they have to naturally rise, peak, and pass.
🧠 The Nature of Emotions
Emotions are temporary physiological and psychological experiences.
Like waves, emotions:
- Rise
- Reach a peak
- Gradually decrease
However, when we:
- Fight them
- Judge them
- Fear them
- Suppress them
We often unintentionally extend their intensity.
Research in emotional regulation suggests that emotional acceptance is associated with:
- Lower emotional reactivity
- Reduced anxiety
- Greater psychological flexibility
- Improved resilience
Acceptance is not agreement. Acceptance is acknowledgment.
🔍 Why We Try to Fix Feelings
Many people learned early in life that uncomfortable emotions were unacceptable.
Common messages include:
- “Don’t cry.”
- “Calm down.”
- “Be strong.”
- “Stop worrying.”
- “Just get over it.”
As a result, many adults become skilled at avoiding emotions but struggle to experience them safely.
⚖️ Feeling vs. Becoming the Feeling
One of the most powerful emotional regulation skills is learning the difference between:
“I am anxious.”
and
“I am experiencing anxiety.”
The first statement becomes identity.
The second creates space.
You are not your emotions.
You are the observer of your emotions.
🌊 Emotional Waves
Imagine standing on the shore watching waves.
You don't stop the ocean.
You don't argue with the waves.
You observe them.
Emotions work similarly.
Instead of:
- Resisting
- Fixing
- Fighting
Try:
- Noticing
- Naming
- Allowing
💬 Weekly Affirmation
"Emotions rise and fall."
Repeat this affirmation whenever you feel tempted to rush, suppress, or judge your emotional experience.
1
3 comments
🌿 Wellness Wednesday – Week 20: Letting Feelings Pass
powered by
skool.com/the-mental-health-collective-7564
The Mental Health Collective is a clinician-led community designed to empower mental wellness through daily affirmations, and practical tools.
Suggested communities
Powered by