The Zen of Sadness: Why You Should Always Embrace Negative Emotions

Sadness, happiness, anger, disappointment, excitement, happiness: these are all feelings we’ve experienced at one point or another and we all deal with them in very different ways. For some of us, overwhelming emotions can throw us off balance and send us on a roller coaster of other emotions.

This can be a huge cause of stress and anxiety in your life and for some, our instinct is to run away and hide from these feelings. In reality, this is the worst thing you could be doing for yourself. Running away from your feelings is never a good solution and most of the time it only leads to more problems down the road.

You’ve avoiding a very normal part of human nature that shouldn’t be avoided.

Emotions are natural and a part of everyday life.

They are a part of you. We can’t stop them from happening, so why try and fight them off? When you ignore your feelings, you’re keeping yourself from emotional growth and from learning not only about yourself, but from stressful situations. The best thing you can do for yourself and your emotional wellbeing is embrace all of these feelings.

Don’t be afraid to let them all in with open arms, even the feelings that you’d rather not feel. Not all of them are going to be pleasant! Some might hurt and some might put you down in the dumps, but remember that this is completely okay. By allowing yourself to feel these feelings full force, you’re gaining a better understanding of what you’re feeling and where those emotions are coming from.

For example

Let’s say you’re afraid of the ocean, but you find yourself on a boat in the middle of it. You have two options. You can either accept your fear and have the strength to talk yourself through this difficult situation or you can try and avoid thinking about the fear at all.

Those who openly face their fear are more likely to be able to deal with it in a calm and collected way, whereas those who avoid those unpleasant feelings are more likely to actually increase that fear. Those who avoid these feelings are running from themselves in a sense.

When you’re willing to face it head on, you’re letting yourself feel those emotions and reminding yourself it’s okay to feel that way. Only then are you able to walk yourself through it to return to a state of comfort again.

In conclusion

When you’re living a distracted life and you’re not paying attention to what your emotions are trying to tell you, you’re ignoring a vital part of your happiness. The more you understand yourself the more secure you will feel in yourself. You’ll know how to handle difficult situations and deal with negative emotions rather than totally breaking down or losing control.

So don’t be afraid to explore your feelings and fight the root of them. You’ll be giving yourself the chance to understand them and know how to accept them the next time around.