in	childhood	and	how	accepting	you	are	now	of	your	emotional
experiences.	Start	changing	the	way	you	support	yourself	emotionally	so
you	can	be	more	unconditionally	accepting	of	whatever	you	feel.
STRATEGY:
	
PRACTICING	ACCEPTANCE
Although	it	can	be	hard	to	accept	painful	emotions—to	not	avoid	or	push
them	away—the	consequences	that	come	from	
not
	
doing	so	far	outweigh	the
pain	of	facing	whatever	it	is	you’re	really	feeling.	Come	up	with	several
examples	in	your	life	where	your	lack	of	acceptance	of	your	feelings	has	only
caused	you	more	negative	emotion	or	wheel	spinning.
As	you	reflect	on	these	examples,	be	honest	with	yourself	and	acknowledge
the	#1	feeling	you	tend	to	avoid	that	brings	the	most	consequences	to	you—
sadness,	anger,	anxiety,	guilt,	shame,	frustration,	joy.
Consider	the	results	of	avoiding	this	emotion.	Has	it	increased	your	anxiety?
Caused	you	to	siphon	off	large	amounts	of	emotional	energy	in	vain?	Or	has
avoiding	this	emotion	blocked	joy	and	contentment?
STRATEGY:	SITTING	WITH	DIFFICULT