If we push a negative thought, feeling, or emotion away, our brain can tend to hold onto it more because that is what our subconscious is designed to do. By getting curious and welcoming the thought, feeling, or emotion, our subconscious simply lets it go. We remove the negative attachment, we embrace the fear, and our brain says, "Nothing to see here, let's move on to something else".
Imagine the hay bale in the image below is our negative feeling.
We want to carry on despite there being an obstacle in our path, so we work hard to push the hay bale away so we can keep moving forward. An exhausting process that only leaves us feeling tired and frustrated, with the hay bale still sitting in front of us.
What if instead of trying to push it away - we paused, got curious and explored the hay bale - learning to acknowledge and welcome its presence? Upon doing so - we may find that by stepping around the hay bale - we can pause to acknowledge its presence, and then continue to move forward rather than using our energy to push it away.
Try doing the same with your negative feelings. As that nervous, sickly feeling arrives, get curious about it. Think to yourself - "Hmmm, I wonder why you are back, what are you doing here, what are you trying to tell me?" Why not go further by welcoming it back and focusing completely on the feeling? How does it feel, what part of your stomach are you feeling it in, is it moving around or is it static, is it increasing or diminishing, how long is it here for?
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