The longer we try to avoid or ignore uncomfortable feelings, the longer they remain present. I had a professor who said, "Whatever you resist, persists!" It's a bit trite, but true.
We go to great lengths to try to make feelings go away. We may judge them, fear them, get angry at them, endlessly analyze them, or try to ignore them.
We may try to make them go away by doing one or more of these things in excess: eat, drink, shop, gamble, drugs, sleep, work, or non-stop activity.
Whatever you try, nothing seems to really help. When you allow yourself to notice, the feelings are still there. Unfortunately, they are often stronger now than they were initially.
The first step is to acknowledge their presence. They exist. They don't have to define you, but the sooner you allow them to be present, the sooner the uncomfortableness will lessen.
"I don't want all this. I don't want to be this person. I don't want all these feelings. I want it to go away."
I know. It sucks.
There are often distorted thoughts, bad memories, and other crap that cause feelings we don't like. Allow the feelings to be present in order to find your way through them.
While, "It sucks less as soon as you stop fighting it," might not be a great motivator, it is practical. It's also effective.
If I discover another method, I'll let you know!
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