CLEAR ALL
In McLaren’s view, we typically perceive emotions as problems, which we then thoughtlessly express or repress. She advocates a more mindful approach, where we step back and see our emotions as sources of information.
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I don’t know what happened to emotions in this society. They are the least understood, most maligned, and most ridiculously over-analyzed aspects of human life.
There are 4 simple keys to becoming more skilled with your emotions, and the first is to stop thinking of emotions as positive or negative!
You may have seen children’s books that sort emotions into 4 simple categories: Mad, Sad, Scared, and Glad. That’s too simplistic, but it’s actually a good place to start! If you can understand those 4 categories, you can learn to identify and work with all 17 of your emotions!
Emotions―especially the dark and dishonored ones―hold a tremendous amount of energy. We’ve all seen what happens when we repress or blindly express them.
Are you struggling with anxiety? If so, you’ve probably tried the usual options—distraction, repression, medication, exercise, or just trying to ignore it. But anxiety evolved to help us.