Feel All Your Feelings - They Are Meant To Be Felt

Introduction:

To feel all your feelings means allowing yourself to

experience your emotions fully—without judgment,

suppression, or avoidance. It’s about welcoming the full

spectrum of human emotion, from the ones we label “good” to

those we resist, with openness and compassion.

Emotions are energy in motion. When we suppress or ignore them,

they don’t vanish—they become trapped in the body, often

resurfacing as physical symptoms or emotional imbalances.

Feeling your feelings is one of the most direct paths to healing. It

releases stored energy and breaks the cycle of repression.

HOW THIS LIFELINE SUPPORTS HEALING

• Disrupts patterns of emotional suppression and opens the

door to integration and freedom

• Strengthens your connection to your inner truth and your

capacity to express it

• Builds emotional resilience by helping you move through—

not around—difficult feelings

One of the most transformative truths I’ve learned is this: feelings

are meant to be felt.

They’re not obstacles to avoid or problems to fix. They are

invitations—guides—pointing us toward what needs to be seen,

heard, and healed.

But I didn’t always understand this. For much of my life, I feared

difficult emotions. I tried to outrun them, numb them, or pretend

they weren’t there. What I eventually discovered was that the only

way to truly heal is to feel.

When we allow emotions to surface and make space for them,

we’re not just honoring our experience—we’re reclaiming the

energy we’ve been using to resist. This softens fear and tension,

making room for healing.

As Giten Tonkov writes in Feel to Heal :

"We can’t selectively numb feelings. When we suppress one

emotion, we limit our capacity to feel others—like joy, connection,

and love."

The more I allowed myself to feel what was real, the more alive I

became. Breathwork opened that door—gently, gradually, and

with compassion.

THE FELT SENSE

One practice that helped me navigate emotional waves is the Felt

Sense , a concept introduced by philosopher and psychotherapist

Dr. Eugene Gendlin, creator of Focusing.

Gendlin teaches that transformation doesn’t come from analyzing

emotions, but from sensing them—feeling with the body, not

thinking with the mind.

For example, when anxiety arises, I might notice tightness in my

chest or buzzing in my arms. Instead of resisting, I tune in. I meet

the sensation with presence, grounding myself in breath. This

pairing—awareness and breath—is powerful. It allows emotions to

shift and move without force.

Some emotions, like grief or rage, are physical in their intensity. In

those moments, my breath becomes an anchor. It holds me steady

as the storm passes. And when the wave moves through—as it

always does—I’m left with more space, more softness.

THE ONLY WAY IS THROUGH

One of the deepest truths I’ve come to live by is this: the only way

to release pain is to move through it.

We’re often taught to avoid, distract, or numb ourselves when

discomfort arises. But avoidance only prolongs suffering. What we

resist, persists.

In the beginning, feeling everything was overwhelming. The

emotional waves were massive. But over time, I learned to trust

the process. Emotions are simply energy moving through the

body—and meeting them allows that energy to flow and release.

Naming and feeling emotions strengthens vagal tone, helping

regulate the parasympathetic nervous system. This increases

resilience, lowers stress, and enhances the ability to return to

baseline after distress.

As Dr. Gabor Maté emphasizes:

"Emotions are not luxuries. They are the vital compass points of

our life."

Feeling your feelings is not weakness—it’s regulation. It’s

presence. It’s how we metabolize life and reclaim our wholeness.

EMOTIONS ARE FLUID

One of the greatest gifts of emotional presence is the reminder that

no feeling is final.

Emotions are like weather—temporary, shifting, alive. They are

not flaws or failures. They are part of being human.

Feeling your feelings doesn’t mean being ruled by them. In fact, it

creates freedom. When we meet emotions as they are—without

resistance—they loosen their grip. They move. We reclaim our

power—not by controlling how we feel, but by allowing what’s

true to move through us.

This is the heart of healing: to meet what’s real, moment by

moment. In doing so, we return to our bodies, our hearts, and the

wholeness we’ve carried all along. We regulate and heal in real time.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLES OF FEEL ALL YOUR FEELINGS

• When frustration rises, instead of pushing it away, pause. Feelthe heat, the tension in your chest—and let it be there without

judgment. That presence creates space for release.

• A man going through a breakup has been avoiding his grief.

One evening, he stops distracting himself and sits with the

sadness. He lets the tears come. Afterward, he feels lighter.

Healing has begun.

• A woman overwhelmed by anxiety and perfectionism feels

pressure building. Instead of suppressing it, she pauses,

breathes, and notices the tightness in her stomach. She allows

herself to feel it—not to fix it, but simply to experience it. In

that space, the anxiety begins to soften.

PRACTICE: EMOTIONAL CHECK-IN

Take a few quiet minutes each day to check in with yourself.

This simple act of presence supports emotional flow and

deepens self-awareness.

Find a comfortable seat and close your eyes. Take a few deep

breaths.

Gently ask: How am I feeling right now? Let the answer arise

without trying to fix or change it.

Notice where you feel it in your body—chest, stomach, jaw,

shoulders.

Breathe into the sensation. Give it space.

When ready, exhale gently and imagine releasing the emotion

from your body.