I used to be afraid of my negative emotions, especially my anger. I didn’t want to feel them, because anger and pain were uncomfortable and their presence made me feel out of control. Trying to hide them from myself didn’t work, though–it just led to me feeling restless, depressed or anxious and stopped me from feeling much of anything at all.

As part of my journey towards wholeness, I’ve learned how to deal with these emotions better. I’ve shifted my perspective on feelings. Now I see them as important sources of information about my life. For example, my anger may be telling me that someone is violating my boundaries or making me uncomfortable; without knowing that, I can’t possibly decide what to do about it.

I like to use a process I call “meditative journaling” to help me understand what my emotions are trying to tell me. Try it out next time you’re battling an emotion you wish you didn’t feel!

Steps to Meditative Journaling:
1. Lie down and close your eyes. Take several deep, slow breaths. As you breathe in, say to yourself, “Welcome anger.” (or whatever emotion you are fighting). As you breathe out say to yourself, “I accept you.”
2. Focus on how your body feels as you continue to breathe. Look for the space in your body where your negative emotion is living.
3. Breathe into the emotion once you find it. Continue to welcome it as you breathe.
4.Ask the emotion what message it has for you. Breathe and listen. Do not try to consciously think of a message; let it come to you.
5. Once you receive the message, thank the emotion and breathe slowly in and out as you bid it farewell.
6. When you are ready, open your eyes. Write in your journal about your experience. Free associate; don’t stop to think or go back to edit. Write for at least 20 minutes.
7. Put your journal aside for a few hours, then reread what you wrote and see what additional insights you received.

This process allows you to honor your emotions without immediately acting on them. It puts you in a more peaceful frame of mind so that you can decide what to do. Get in the habit of meditative journaling regularly. Check out my new coaching program, Rewrite Your Life Script, for other ways you can embrace your emotions and learn from them. You may also want to explore art or music as ways of honoring, expressing and releasing emotion.

Jack Ori has overcome depression, anxiety and feelings of invisibility to create a love-filled life for himself. He now helps others overcome self-sabotage and feelings of powerlessness through writing, meditation and other coaching tools. He is the creator of the Rewrite Your Life Script program (http://rewriteyourlifescript.blogspot.com), which includes a radio series and blog in addition to coaching opportunities. Coach Jack has appeared numerous times on empowering radio shows, most notably Autism Empowerment and Abundance U R It.

Website: http://www.ftmcoachjack.com/

Follow Coach Jack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FTMCoachJack

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