What to Do When You Feel Stuck in Negative Emotions

Source: mindful.org

The way we cope with negative feelings often serves to keep us stuck.

Brooders can become very self-focused, writes David, and they may start to judge and blame themselves for their feelings.

To get unhooked, we first have to acknowledge the hook-in other words, to be mindful and accepting of our feelings, David explains.

The point of identifying these feelings is not to beat ourselves up, though.

David recounts a time when she was traveling for work and, alone in a fancy hotel room, began to feel guilty for leaving her family.

Rather than getting hooked by the guilt and smothering her feelings with five-star room service, she instead chose to pause and learn from it: to remind herself how much she values time with her loved ones, and to recommit to prioritizing them.