The Paradox of Rejecting Uncomfortable Emotions
It's tempting to object to what doesn't feel good, but it could backfire.
KEY POINTS
- A team of researchers found evidence of a two-way relationship between feeling uncomfortable emotions and disapproving of them.
- The results revealed that the more people felt difficult emotions, the more they opposed them.
- At the same time, the results also showed that the more people opposed uncomfortable emotions, the more they felt them.
- The research indicates the value of accepting difficult emotions, though it needs to be replicated with a broader population.
"As a human being, it’s a virtual certainty that you’ve experienced two things at least once in your life (and probably a number of times): 1) Uncomfortable emotions of some sort, and 2) criticizing yourself for even feeling them. And why wouldn’t you frown on what doesn’t feel good? On the surface, it seems so understandable. After all, if your foot suddenly hurt while walking, it’s extremely likely that you’d take a dim view of the pain. But how does a negative, even judgmental reaction work when it comes to how you feel? A team of researchers examined this question in a study that was just published.
What the Study Found
More specifically, the team investigated the connection between how much people felt emotions that can be uncomfortable (e.g., fear, sadness, anger, shame, guilt, and anxiety) and the degree to which they rejected or disapproved of uncomfortable emotions (they referred to this as nonacceptance of emotion). They looked at the link between these two elements during the course of a day for five days. To do this, they asked everyone who participated in the study to use an app to complete a questionnaire at random time periods between 30-90 minutes.
The results revealed that, first off, although there was some variation in how much people felt uncomfortable emotions and the extent to which they disapproved of them, everyone encountered both of these experiences. Second, the researchers found that there was a relationship between feeling uncomfortable emotions and rejecting them. Third, the results pointed to a two-way connection between these factors from one time point to another. To be exact, when a person feels uncomfortable emotions more than they usually do, they’re also more apt to disapprove of difficult emotions later—and when someone rejects uncomfortable emotions, they’re even more inclined to feel difficult emotions afterward."
Read the full available article Psychology Today
Reflection: Have you ever rejected uncomfortable emotions rather than accepting them? If so, what do you think can be done to make the accepting process easier?
#Emotions #MentalHealth #Rejection
@professionalVision2624 I think we all more or less go through the stage of rejecting negative emotions first. Accepting the truth is the first step to change it. Personally I was refusing to do that for a long time, but once you accept reality and see how much easier it is to change some things, it starts becoming easier. First time is hard! There will always be things that are hard to accept. But we will always have the potential to deal with them! Thanks for the inspiring post :)
@calmDew1576
I agree! A very intersting thought and perspective! Thank you so much for sharing and commenting
@professionalVision2624
Yes!
It can be difficult accepting uncomfortable emotions.
To make the process easier, I think it’s important to let yourself experience them. Then with time, perhaps It will get easier.
Thanks for the post! <3 🌱✨
@innateJoy9602
Yes! Acceptance is key in both overcoming them and feeling them without letting it affect one badly in the long term. Thank you so much for your comment!