There are people with or without disorders who have problems accepting their own emotions (and also those of others). It is very difficult to deal with emotions that are painful, extreme, or even those that make us feel scared. However, it is necessary to accept emotions because it can actually help you improve your emotional regulation and have fewer mood swings and therefore, to be more emotionally stable.

Sometimes, people, when we have emotions that make us feel uncomfortable such as fear, sadness or shame … the first thing that is done is to reject the feeling because we do not want to feel that way. When this happens, people do things to try to avoid that feeling, such as taking drugs or alcohol to feel better. But this is not the solution. It is necessary to accept that all emotions are necessary because they are the guide to well-being.

Nobody wants to feel emotional pain all the time, but when emotions are rejected, it makes things worse 100% of the time. Emotions of any kind can arise because they give you useful information about yourself and your environment, so getting rid of them will never be a good idea.

Accept emotional experiences without giving up pain

So that your emotions do not bother you and you can learn from them, you will have to accept your emotional experiences. Accepting means that you practice life allowing your emotions to appear in your life without judging them or trying to change them. Acceptance also means letting go of attempts to control those emotions and learning that they by themselves will not harm you … But that the things you do to get rid of emotions can seriously hurt you.

It is necessary to be aware that accepting emotions does not mean giving up pain. Pain is necessary and feeling it does not mean giving up. It is necessary to differentiate between acceptance and resignation. Accepting emotions does not mean that you resign yourself to always feeling bad emotionally. It also does not mean that you hold on to painful emotions or try to force yourself to experience emotional pain.  Acceptance simply means being aware of your emotions and accepting them for what they are right now, knowing that they won’t last forever.

Accepting emotions also means accepting that emotions will change. When you are happy, you accept that it is a short-term condition … You are not always happy. But this is valid for any emotion; sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, anger, etc. The feelings are fleeting and disappear after a few seconds, minutes or hours (in the cases that last longer).

The usefulness of accepting emotions

Why is accepting your emotions helpful? What’s the point of trying to accept emotions without needing to get rid of them? Well, no, it is not easy to get rid of emotions. In fact, most people cannot get rid of them. It is impossible.

Emotions exist for a reason and that is why no one should want to get rid of them. Emotions are part of a complex system that helps us decide what to avoid and what to approach. Emotions also help us maintain lasting relationships with other people. Without emotions, we would make terrible decisions all the time. Therefore, accepting emotions is useful, because when we listen and attend to our emotions, we can learn important information about ourselves and the environment.

Practice accepting emotions

It is not easy to learn to accept emotions because they often do not feel good and we have instincts that can tell us to avoid them in order to be ‘fine’ again. With persistent practice, you can learn to be more receptive to your emotions and to be aware of them whenever they appear. You will be aware of them and you will be able to act accordingly. Meditation, journaling, or just mindful thinking can help you better understand your internal and external experiences. This is tremendously helpful in learning to accept your emotions