Welcoming Our Emotions

As we explore the full range of emotions we experience, we can practice adopting a welcoming attitude to all of them, even the ones we prefer to go away.

In this way, we learn to welcome all experiences in the “guest house” of our awareness, knowing that they will take up residence for only a temporary period of time and may have something to teach us.

There is a saying that if you name a thought or emotion, you can tame it. Turning towards difficult emotions can make them less intense and more manageable.

Labeling helps us to step out of ruminating mind, notice what is happening in the present moment and become more accepting of the full range of our emotions.

Research has found that the simple act of naming an emotion calms the emotional centre of the brain. 

We can learn to ride the waves of intense emotions by developing language to label our emotions and by observing their intensity.

Use the STOP technique (Goldstein, 2012) to help you pause throughout the day and recognize the emotions you are experiencing.

S - Stop and take a pause
T - Take a breath
O - Observe what you notice
P - Proceed with the rest of your day