About This Practice
Feelings don’t go away just because you refuse to feel them. In fact, they get buried inside, leading to a decline in physical and mental health. While it might feel scary or self-indulgent to fully embrace challenging or negative feelings, the long-term damage of not embracing them can be far worse. In this practice, you'll honor your feelings by learning how to work with your analyzer which can put you into your head. You'll learn how to drop into your body and allow feelings to move through you so you can take action from a less reactive place
Steps
Sink into the sensation
When a feeling seems overwhelming, take a moment to pause. Resist analyzing or judging your feelings. Resist reacting based on your feeling. Instead, try your best to sink into the pure sensation of the feeling in your body. Locate where in your body you feel this feeling. Pay attention to the physical qualities of the feeling. E.g., Does the feeling have a shape or color? Does it feel hot or cold, solid, moving, heavy, etc.?
Name the feeling
Sink into the sensation of the feeling as described above. Name your feeling and then intentionally welcome it. For instance, you might say to yourself: “Welcome, Anger” or “Welcome. Fear.” Note that this does not mean you’re welcoming the particular life circumstance that provoked the feeling. You’re simply welcoming your inner experience or reaction to the circumstance.
Let it be
After spending a few minutes sinking into and welcoming the feeling, it can be helpful to state silently or out loud to yourself: I release the need for power or control over this feeling or situation. I release the need for esteem or approval around this feeling or situation. I release the need for certainty and security around this feeling or situation. I release the need to change anything about this feeling or situation. I release the need to change anything about myself.