The truth about your bad feelings
Feeling your feelings is a scary thing for a lot of people.
And so, they get shoved away.
It’s never a convenient time to feel "bad" feelings – whether it's anger, sadness, shame or something else. So you learn how to put the feelings aside, cover them up, ignore them enough so you can push through your days.
If you push your “bad” feelings aside for long enough, though, what often happens is that they seep in anyway. And then you’re expending an awful lot of energy to keep pressing forward, while also pushing down the feelings you don’t let – or can’t let – yourself feel.
It is an awful lot of pressure to “feel fine” all the time. And given what’s going on in the world, is that really even possible?
Forcing yourself to always feel fine – no matter what’s going on around you or within you – can leave you feeling disconnected and flat.
Our feelings – even the ones we push away, ignore, or belittle – are important sources of information about what matters to us and what resonates with our goals and dreams. You may have received messages over the years – either explicitly or implicitly – that feelings are bad, that “you’re always such a good girl” or that “crying never helps” or "no one likes an angry woman".
What would it be like to be curious about where and when those messages became part of your inner dialogue?
I love the Robert Frost quote about “the best way out is always through” and I think it’s especially true around feelings. The more you keep running away from a feeling, the more it will keep coming back.
It can be a really challenging thing to stop running, pause, and really look at the feeling. This looking (and perhaps further exploration) is not about solving it or making it go away, but understanding it. It's about being curious about the feeling, what it feels like in your body, what it brings up for you, how you express it or don’t express it.
It's about accepting and allowing all your feelings as valid and needed.
Ultimately, being able to know your feelings is being able to know yourself.
If you’re done with pushing away your feelings, and ready to step into deeper connection with and understanding of yourself, I would love to help.
You can learn more about how I work here and schedule your free phone consultation today.
Warmly,
Maya
About the Author
Maya is a music therapist and psychotherapist in NYC and online throughout New York State. She specializes in helping women with anxiety, childhood/intergenerational trauma and those who are highly sensitive (HSP) feel good enough, learn how to express all their feelings without overwhelm, and show up in calm and confident ways in their work and relationships.
If you’re interested in working with Maya, you can learn more here or schedule your free phone consultation here.
You don’t have to stay stuck - it’s time to reclaim your rhythm.