Stop feeling bad about feeling bad!

We need to be gentle with ourselves rather than harsh when we experience negative emotions.

We all experience bad days, moments, and even months when we feel like we can’t escape the sadness and despair. It’s natural to feel bad when bad things happen, but when those negative feelings linger, they can become a source of anxiety and depression.

Too often, we are hard on ourselves for feeling bad, but it’s important to remember that it’s okay sometimes.

Feeling bad about feeling bad is one of our least helpful habits as human beings. Telling ourselves that we shouldn't feel what we're feeling adds guilt to tricky emotions.

In an effort to prevent unpleasant feelings, fighting against them is futile. Feeling down and having trouble are average human experiences. We all go through periods of happiness and grief.

All these things are inherent to being human. We call the emotions we experience in response to other emotions "meta-emotions." (I plan to delve deeper into this in the next issue.)

The feelings we experience tell us a lot about ourselves. The human brain has developed in such a way as to protect us from harm. So when we're feeling down, we can take a step back and figure out why.

Is it a reaction that can be used to keep ourselves safe, or is it just an unhelpful fear-based emotion?

By taking an introspective look at our feelings, we may be able to identify the negative ideas that serve us and those that don't. Then, we'll have more information to decide how to proceed.

We must be gentle with ourselves rather than harsh when we experience negative emotions. We can do this by providing ourselves with a secure environment, opening up to a trusted friend or loved one about how we're feeling, and participating in pleasurable pursuits.