As	you	explore	the	feelings	table	and	begin	talking	about	your	feelings,
write	down	in	your	notebook	the	emotions	that	seem	to	come	up	for	you
the	most.	Record	one	or	two	of	these	primary	emotions.	This	isn’t	a
writing	test	so	don’t	worry	about	your	writing	style,	spelling,	or
punctuation.	Simply	ask	yourself	the	following	questions:
•
	
How	old	were	you	when	you	first	remember	feeling	this	emotion?
•
	
What	was	the	situation?	Was	that	situation	at	all	similar	to	what
you’re	going	through	now?
•
	
Did	you	express	what	you	were	feeling	to	anyone?
•
	
Did	anyone	comfort	you	or	help	you	make	sense	of	your	feelings?
See	if	in	your	writing	you	can	comfort	yourself	now	through	self-
compassion	and	self-acceptance.	Tell	yourself,	“It’s	okay	to	feel	this
(your	specific	emotion).”	See	if	you	can	let	yourself	believe	that	part	of
the	problem	is	never	having	allowed	yourself	to	reflect	on	and	accept
your	deeper	emotional	experiences.
What’s
	
Underneath	Anxiety?
When	we	don’t	express	negative	experiences,	they	become	internalized—we
try	to	problem	solve	the	upset	in	an	internal	vacuum,	which	results	in