The three essentials for working with emotions
Feelings are a hidden treasure. They can guide us to our true selves. Three things are essential to do this.
Emotions have two sides. The first is the one we see and feel; it’s the one we react to. We feel something, we judge that feeling (“it’s pleasant/it’s awful”), and we can connect many stories that are tied to that feeling. So when an emotion arises, there’s a whole world happening inside of us that shapes how we react and act upon that feeling.
Then, there is the other side, the hidden treasure of that feeling. It could be a former experience, a talent, or a source of power that you have chosen to suppress. Either way, every feeling is a gateway to your true self. To find the entrance, you need to cut through a whole bunch of sensations and surface reactions that are bound to that feeling.
In order to break free of those reactions, three things are essential:
You have to gain access and feel your feelings. We often avoid feeling our emotions because they can be unpleasant, and we fear them. However, it is essential to feel them and to recognize how they manifest in our bodies. This awareness alone can transform them and lead to healing.
You have to develop endurance in order to hold them. Feelings can be strong and intense. We must endure, remaining with our emotions for as long as they need to dissolve and fade away. This is simply a matter of practice; the more we practice, the better we become and the more likely we are to resolve difficult feelings effectively.
You have to find ways to work with them. Endurance and strength allow you to hold your feelings, but to uncover their true meaning you have to work with them. You have to find a method that allows you to tap into their treasure. The next letter is about that.