Practice identifying what you’re feeling emotionally and allow it to move

1. Ask yourself where this emotion “lives” in your body. You may only know at first that you are feeling an emotion by the clues your body gives you. You may feel a tightening in your throat, jaw, shoulders, chest or gut. You may feel a flush or a rush of energy or heat somewhere. You may notice that you have stopped breathing or feel frozen or even disconnected or spacey. You may feel a sense of collapse or loss of energy or dullness.

2. Receive, Don’t Resist; Bring your attention to this feeling and allow it to be there, make room for it and let it move the way that IT wants to move:

➢    Breathe deeply; imagine that you are breathing directly into that place in your body, making more room for the feeling and then allowing it to be carried out on your out-breath.
➢    Stretch and move what has become still
➢    Expand the contracted places like your chest, belly, throat and face.
➢    Give the feeling a physical gesture, and/or a voice. Even a sigh or a growl, if there are no words.
➢    MOVE! Get your blood flowing by walking, dancing, or having a good old fashioned temper tantrum in the privacy of your living room!
➢    Express your feelings; if not to another person, then through journaling or artwork.
➢    Massage (or get a professional to massage) tightened muscles.
3. Remind yourself that whatever you are feeling is valid, at some level, for some reason and that it doesn’t matter whether it makes sense or not, or is “correct” or even “appropriate” (remember, the emotional part of your brain doesn’t care!)
It just IS. And often, the best way out is through!