The Art of Sitting With Your Feelings
A Spiritual Psychology Guide to Emotional Presence
Most of us were never taught how to feel.
We were taught how to distract.
How to stay busy.
How to be strong.
How to move on quickly.
But almost no one taught us how to sit with what hurts.
So when emotions rise, we reach for noise.
Our phones.
Work.
Food.
People.
Anything that keeps us from being alone with ourselves.
Yet healing doesn’t happen in avoidance.
It happens in presence.
This is the quiet art of sitting with your feelings.
What Does “Sitting With Your Feelings” Really Mean?
It doesn’t mean overthinking.
It doesn’t mean analyzing every memory.
It simply means allowing your inner experience to exist without trying to fix it.
To sit with your feelings is to say:
I see you.
I’m not running.
You’re allowed to be here.
It’s staying when sadness arrives.
Breathing when anxiety tightens your chest.
Listening when your heart feels heavy.
Spiritual psychology teaches that emotions are not problems, they are messages.
Each feeling carries information from your deeper self.
When you avoid them, they grow louder.
When you meet them gently, they soften.
🧠 Why This Feels So Hard
Because many of us learned early that emotions were unsafe.
Maybe you were told not to cry.
Maybe no one had space for your pain.
Maybe you became “the strong one.”
So your nervous system learned:
Feeling = danger.
Now, as an adult, silence feels uncomfortable. Stillness feels threatening. Emotional waves feel overwhelming.
But what you’re experiencing isn’t weakness.
It’s unprocessed emotion asking for attention.
Most emotional exhaustion doesn’t come from doing too much.
It comes from holding too much inside.
The Spiritual Side of Emotional Presence
From a spiritual psychology perspective, emotions are energy in motion.
When you suppress them, that energy gets trapped in the body.
When you allow them, they move through you.
This is why tears bring relief.
Why deep breaths calm the chest.
Why naming feelings reduces their intensity.
Sitting with your emotions reconnects you with your inner self.
It teaches safety.
It rebuilds trust between your mind and your body.
It reminds you that you don’t need to escape your humanity to be spiritual.
Your feelings are part of your awakening.
A Simple Practice (Try This Tonight)
Find a quiet place.
Place one hand on your heart.
Close your eyes.
Take three slow breaths.
Then gently ask:
“What am I feeling right now?”
Don’t judge the answer.
Don’t rush it away.
Just notice.
If sadness comes - breathe with it.
If tension appears - soften around it.
If nothing happens - that’s okay too.
Stay for two minutes.
That’s it.
This small moment of presence teaches your nervous system something powerful:
I am safe with myself.
💛 What Happens When You Practice This Regularly
Over time, something beautiful shifts:
Your reactions become softer
Your self-talk becomes kinder
Your body feels less tense
Your emotions move faster instead of getting stuck
You stop fearing your inner world
You realize that feelings are visitors, not permanent residents.
And most importantly, you stop abandoning yourself during hard moments.
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Recommendations:
Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences
Posttraumatic Growth Inventory
PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
Sexual Assault Recovery Scale
About the Creator
Faraz
I am psychology writer and researcher.
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