Host Robert Strock discusses the process of moving from self-rejection toward self-compassion. Emotions like anger or anxiety often carry a double layer of self-rejection. There's the initial emotion but also the way we feel about that emotion, We need to ask ourselves if we like how we're feeling, and if the answer is no, it reveals that we are having a negative reaction that either will be withdrawing from our hearts ourselves or are negatively reacting emotionally.? When we feel our most disliked feelings, we can learn to give our heart to care for ourselves specifically. Listeners can begin by reflecting on both the original difficult feelings and ways they reject themselves through fight and flight (aggressive emotions or withdrawal) and identifying alternative healing responses, including acknowledging the naturalness of all feelings when we look at the full context. Many times, our anger or dislike of our feelings is a sign that we're trying to avoid the pain of the emotion. We can be present in the moment and question our challenging feelings and avoidant or negative responses to get to the underlying needs reflected in "The Introspective Guides" on the website. This process helps move us toward self-compassion and can prevent reactions that cause guilt, shame, and self-hatred that can lead to lashing out at others. Finally, there's often a poor distinction between what we feel and what we need. As we learn to no longer identify feelings as negative but instead see them as a natural challenge of the human experience, we can learn how to begin to give our heart to those difficult emotions and make a real move toward self-compassion.

Listen to the episode and find out more at: Awareness That Heals.