What do we do with difficult emotions? The problem of avoidance: many of us naturally try to avoid feeling bad or experiencing difficult emotions, by using various strategies such as avoiding certain thoughts or pretending everything is okay. We might isolate ourselves, spend too much time on social media, or procrastinate to distract ourselves. However, avoiding pain doesn’t actually make us feel better; it often makes things worse.

A better way of coping with difficult emotions: acceptance. It is not giving up. It means allowing your difficult thoughts and feelings to occur inside you, without trying to change them nor ignore them. Just make space for them.