In this article, I will do my best to explain why understanding negative feelings is so critical, and why we should proactively spend energy to unpack their messages.
What do I mean by “negative feelings?”
For the sake of this article, let’s call any undesired and unpleasant emotion, feeling, thought, or reaction a negative feeling.
They include whatever feelings, thoughts, emotions, or reactions you don’t like. Some examples include getting angry at your mom, feeling demotivated, experiencing jealousy, getting triggered for any reason, …
We’re often told, if we cannot change our negative feelings immediately then we should ignore them or push them away, especially when those feelings are “non-constructive” and “irrational.” …
Warning: If you don’t practice Internal Family Systems (IFS), this article may not make any sense to you! 😂😎
For seconds, minutes, or maybe hours after first noticing it, I was pretty confused. Is this another part of me? I thought it was me? Is it not?
What does that say about me, if that’s not me? Then who is “me”? Does that mean that I will be unhappy, sad, and miserable?
Or
Does that mean that I can more easily stay with other people’s pain and sadness if I unburden it? …
I posted the above quote on my instagram a few days ago and a good friend of mine commented “👏 The power of reframing reality.”
The comment got me really thinking. All of my life I’ve been a big fan of reframing negative (non-constructive) thoughts to positive (growth-oriented) thoughts.
Like many others, I used to think swallowing positivity is the best way to deal with arising negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
But in the past year, I’ve experienced a whole other way of living, that has healed and empowered me in ways that would have been unbelievable to me before. …
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