When we’re feeling sad, lonely, or angry, shifting our awareness into our bodies allows us to experience the ever-changing nature of these strong and often unpleasant emotions.

This practice will help you become accustomed to paying attention to difficult emotions in your body with curiosity and without judgment.

Maintaining Awareness of Difficult Emotions

Sit comfortably with your eyes closed or slightly open, depending on how you feel most at ease. Begin this practice by recalling a difficult or troubling thought or situation. Something that conveys a strong emotion, such as sadness, fear, shame, or anger.

Body Scan

1. Examine your body to see where you feel this emotion. How does it make you feel? Where do you notice sensations emerging? How are these feelings changing?
2. Try to fully experience the sensations in the present moment. Can you have them without being hijacked by them—without immediately or anxiously working to get rid of them? Relax if you notice these kinds of reactions in your mind. Return to your physical body. Feel the various sensations that arise from that emotion in this moment.
3. Allow yourself to let go of any reactions or judgments. If you find yourself adding judgment, condemnation, or future projection, practice letting go as much as you can. It’s almost as if they’re birds flying out of your hands into the air. Allow them to go and return to the emotional sensations.
4. Shift your focus to fully experience the sensation. Bring your awareness to the part of your body where the sensations are the most intense. When your attention is drawn to your bodily sensations, tell yourself, “It’s okay, whatever it is, it’s okay.” I can feel it without pushing it away or becoming engrossed in it.”
5. Continue to be aware of your bodily sensations. Take note of your relationship with them. You’re simply coming to accept them and let them be. They are softening and opening up to you.
6. Often, the emotion is a combination of several factors. Perhaps there will be moments of sadness, fear, frustration, and helplessness. We simply observe their emergence and demise. None of these states are permanent or constant. They’re shifting and moving.
7. Maintain your interest in your current experience. Return to your direct experience in the moment, regardless of what story or add-on arises. What am I feeling at the moment? How does it make you feel? What is going on? What exactly is it? When you’re finished, you can close your eyes or lift your gaze to end the session.

You can learn to sit with those challenging emotions that frequently overwhelm us and lead to irritation and bad emotions by using this technique, which is typically useful. We strongly advise you to bookmark this page and practice this guided meditation rather than resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms (use speak to text to dictate it to you). Check in with yourself and ask, if the emotions you were experiencing earlier have subsided. Use this exercise to develop your meditation practice and increase your mindfulness if you find it helpful.

If you loved this exercise, please click the link to book your first appointment. Anyone can learn mindfulness if they routinely practice it. to speak with a therapist who has received training in mindfulness, click the link below.

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