Because so many of us are not taught how to physically process and move through the more dense energies of “negative” emotions, we tend to avoid dealing with them. As a result, we often get stuck in a stress response that takes a toll on our bodies, minds, and overall sense of wellbeing. Because we feel crappy, we may unconsciously assume it’s those “negative” emotions causing the problem, thus the cycle of avoidance continues. We may find ourselves turning to quick fixes like smoking, drinking, eating sugar, overworking, focusing on other people, or [insert whatever your escape go-to is here].

The truth is, e-motion is energy in motion. It’s not good or bad, right or wrong – it’s just energy. Depending on what emotion we are having, it either generates or drains our energy (hence the terms: positive and negative).

For a long time, I didn’t have the best relationship with my negative feelings. Because I didn’t view them as energy wanting to be expressed and released, and instead saw them as something I had to figure out, I often ended up in my head, obsessing about things outside of myself to try and make me feel better. I had no idea that that if I just put my attention on the sensations of the feeling, asked for its message, and then moved the energy through, that I could feel better, sometimes in just minutes.

Because of this misunderstanding, I often found myself overexercising, overthinking, overachieving, worrying about other people, and basically over functioning by doing anything I could to try and feel better. And, because I was always analyzing my feelings and could tell you what I was feeling at any given moment, I thought I was dealing with them.

Luckily my body eventually demanded that I find a new way to work w/my emotions. As a result, I eventually came to see that ALL of my feelings – both positive and negative – were not only serving a purpose, but could help me to feel better – once I learned how to master the energy of them.

Today, how can you begin to shift the way you view your “negative” emotions? How might viewing emotion as energy-in-motion, open you up to moving through the feelings you might be avoiding?