Moving Through Uncomfortable Emotions

Emotions are a fundamental part of the human experience. They guide us through our day-to-day life, acting as signals that help us make decisions, interact with others, and protect ourselves. While feelings such as joy, excitement, and calm can feel pleasant and seem to flow with ease, others—like sadness, anger, and anxiety—can be deeply uncomfortable. Often, our reflex is to avoid or suppress these uncomfortable feelings. However, allowing ourselves to fully experience and process our emotions can actually lead to the relief of symptoms more quickly.

Why Do Some Emotions Feel So Intense?

To better understand why these emotions feel so challenging to manage, it’s helpful to know a bit about their purpose. Feelings like fear, sadness, and anger exist to alert us to potential danger, loss, or unfairness, prompting us to respond in ways that protect and help us. However, these emotions are often accompanied by a release of stress hormones, resulting in physical and mental sensations—racing heartbeats, tight muscles, or a flood of negative thoughts—that can feel intense and unmanageable. This is a natural response, designed to help us survive, but it doesn’t always feel productive or even necessary, especially when emotions are triggered by daily stressors rather than immediate threats.

For example, anxiety often brings a flood of “what-if” thoughts and worst-case scenarios, leaving us restless and overwhelmed. Anger might feel like a buildup of pressure inside, while sadness brings a sense of heaviness and drains us of energy and motivation. Because these sensations can be so unpleasant, our first response might create the urge to try to ignore or push them aside or avoid situations that may bring these emotions on in the first place. However, avoiding our emotions can lead to them becoming stronger in the long run, as they are left unprocessed and building-up inside of us.

Instead, by moving through uncomfortable emotions, we can respond to them in a way that leads to relief and a sense of calm. Below are practical strategies for experiencing these feelings in a healthy, constructive way. These techniques—categorized into expression, sensory engagement, movement, and mindset—can help you navigate uncomfortable emotions while building emotional resilience.

Using Expression: Getting It Out

When emotions arise, expressing them openly can be a crucial first step. By acknowledging our feelings and letting them out, we begin the process of understanding and making meaning of their message. Expression can serve to bring a great sense of relief.

Share with a Loved One: Talking with a friend, family member, or therapist, can provide connection and validation. It is often helpful just to have someone to listen in order to feel seen, understood, and less alone. Sharing our feelings out loud with another person helps us to make sense of the situation in moments of difficulty.

Name It to Tame It: Sometimes, simply identifying your emotion is enough to make it feel less intense. Naming what you’re feeling is a way to make the emotion less abstract and to activate logic, which gives you a strong starting position for processing and managing it.

Use “I-Feel” Statements: Using “I feel…” statements can bring clarity and empowerment. For instance, instead of saying, “I can't do this” try saying, “I feel overwhelmed because of everything on my plate.” Changing the wording here can create space between your self and the feeling you are simply experiencing. These statements honour your emotions while also giving context, helping to organize and calm scattered thoughts.

Positive Self-Talk: Because it’s important not to deny your emotions, you can choose to allow them to occur without passing judgment. Using gentle self-talk can create a more compassionate internal dialogue. Try affirming yourself with phrases like, “I can get through this,” or “It’s okay to feel this way.”

Talk Back to Worries: Sometimes our worries can become an unhelpful loop, resulting in uncomfortable feelings becoming even stronger. Talking back to these thoughts can be a way to reclaim control. Questioning the validity of your worries can be a helpful tool ie. “Is this thought serving me?” or “Is there evidence supporting the need to worry about this?”

Journaling: Writing is a powerful tool for self-expression. Journaling helps organize thoughts, gives space for feelings, and provides a safe space to process experiences without judgment.

Drawing: If words feel limiting, drawing or doodling can be another form of release. Art provides a way to express complex emotions that may not be easy to put into words, allowing us to explore and release feelings visually.

Using the Senses: Finding Grounding in Sensory Experience

When emotions feel overwhelming, grounding ourselves in sensory experiences can help us reconnect with the present moment. Our sensory system is connected to our central nervous system so our senses are powerful tools for shifting focus and soothing the mind.

Visual: What we’re looking at can create a shift in the way we see things. By looking at calming visuals, such as nature scenes, stepping outside for a change in scenery or rearranging your surroundings, can improve your mental state.

Touch/Feel: Our nervous system is designed to be very alert to touch. Physical sensations help ground us or make us feel the comfort of another being. Hugging a loved one or petting our furry loved ones, or wrapping up in cozy or weighted blanket, can provide soothing and help calm racing thoughts.

Smell: Scents are closely linked with memory and emotions. Lighting a candle, diffusing essential oils, or simply smelling fresh air outdoors can help shift your mood. Scents like lavender and chamomile are known for their relaxing qualities.

Sound: Listening to music, audiobooks, or nature sounds can provide comfort or create a relaxing background. Choose sounds that resonate with you, whether it’s upbeat music, soothing melodies, or calming ambient noise.

Taste: Enjoy a small snack or warm drink mindfully, focusing on the texture, temperature, and flavour. This small act of savouring can be both grounding and comforting.

Using movement: Releasing Physical Tension

Emotions don’t just exist in the mind; they affect our bodies, too. Engaging in physical activity can help release the tension that builds up with uncomfortable feelings, allowing for a sense of relief and relaxation.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): Tensing and releasing muscle groups can disperse stress hormones resulting in a relief from stress. PMR involves tightening muscles, holding the tension, and then slowly releasing, which helps the body achieve relaxation.

Belly Breathing: When we’re anxious, our breathing tends to become shallow. Practicing belly breathing, where you inhale deeply and let your abdomen expand, can slow your heart rate and calm your nervous system.

Yoga or Stretching: Simple stretches or yoga poses can help release physical tension and bring awareness to the body. The movement helps release emotions and keeps us feeling grounded in the present.

Running/Walking: Moving briskly helps burn off excessive nervous energy, and being in a new environment can offer a fresh perspective. Just a short walk can serve as a reset for the body and mind.

Squeeze Ball: Using a squeeze ball provides a tactile outlet for fidgety hands. The repetitive motion can help you feel more grounded and offer a small but effective release of tension.

Using Mind-Tools: Cultivating a Shift

Our thoughts influence how we feel. By consciously engaging our minds in productive ways, we can build resilience through this practice and begin to process our emotions in a healthier way.

Imagery/Visualization: Visualization can provide a mental escape, offering calming images to soothe the mind. Picture yourself in a peaceful setting or remember a comforting experience from your past.

Mindfulness Practice: Mindfulness encourages us to observe our emotions without judgment, reducing the impulse to resist them. This practice involves paying attention to your feelings and thoughts with curiosity and acceptance.

Thought-Stopping: When a thought pattern becomes intrusive or unhelpful, gently “stop” it to bring yourself back into a place of reality. You can set this boundary by counting to ten, refocusing on a present activity or by picturing a symbol that represents stopping.

Rehearse Next Steps: Sometimes our worries stem from uncertainty about what’s next. Visualizing yourself engaging in the next best step or rehearsing what needs to be said, can provide a sense of control and reduce feelings of anxiety.

Brainstorm Solutions: Problem-solving allows us to move from ruminating on a problem to actively seeking solutions. Intentional brainstorming can open our eyes to possibilities that we wouldn't have otherwise seen, resulting in feelings of hope.

Flip Attention to Positives: Our attention is designed to be drawn more toward the negative than to the positive. Considering even one small thing you’re grateful for or something positive in your day, can help correct this imbalance. Gratitude and focusing on positives can be an effective strategy to shift one's mood.

Working at improving your experiences with emotions takes some practice, trying on different approaches to see what works for you. Each of these approaches offers a pathway for processing emotions in a healthy, constructive way. By expressing your feelings, grounding yourself with sensory experiences, releasing tension through movement, and actively working with your thoughts, you can begin to build resilience and navigate through the emotion — from start to finish— with more ease.