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Three Practices for Writing through Negative Emotion
We all want to feel good. That’s just a normal, human desire. The catch is that by always trying to feel good and not own the feeling bad part of ourselves, we allow negative emotion to grow. Bad feelings grow in the dark, where they are left to fester. Personally, I find it difficult to admit I’m feeling negative emotions like anger, sadness or anxiety. However, when I shine the light of awareness and open acceptance on the emotions I’ve labelled ‘bad’ I’m giving myself the opportunity to learn from them. This can transform them into something helpful.
I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to self-help tactics. I collect exercises and ideas from different books, research papers and pod casts. I use some, discard others and cobble together my own practical applications for the ideas that seem to fit with me. Below are three of my favoured writing practices for recognising, accepting and transforming ill-feeling.
Emotions are simply information
Life presents us with many different situations. Our emotions help guide us through them and prompt us towards positive action. Anger is just as valuable as happiness. When we deny our feelings we strip ourselves of the power needed to move through the situation that has evoked that emotional response within us.
