What are you really feeling, and what is that emotion trying to tell you?
In Episode 18 of Kenosis Conversations, Christine and Carol explore the five core emotions they’ve used with clients throughout decades of counseling work: anger, sadness, loneliness, fear, and happiness. While feelings like frustration, guilt, shame, or anxiety may seem more complicated, learning to identify what lies underneath them can be an important first step toward greater self-awareness and emotional regulation.
Christine and Carol discuss why uncomfortable emotions aren’t “bad” emotions. Instead, they can provide valuable information about what we need, what we believe, and what may need to change.
In this episode, they explore:
- The five core emotions and why keeping it simple can help
- How to identify where emotions show up in your body
- The connection between thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations
- Mindfulness and learning to tolerate distress without judgment
- “Reality affirmations” for balancing painful thoughts with what you know to be true
- The butterfly hug and other body-based calming techniques
- EFT/tapping and somatic approaches to emotional regulation
- Why progress is about regulation, not eliminating difficult emotions
- How gratitude, self-awareness, and intentional choices can help shift your emotional state
- Letting go of expectations that keep you activated or stuck
- Why naming, honoring, and externalizing feelings can help you move forward
Difficult feelings are part of being human. Instead of pretending they aren’t there, you can recognize them, understand them, care for yourself through them, and choose what comes next.