Tuesday Tip: Let Yourself Feel What You Feel

One thing you can do today to be happier.

When we feel stressed out (or sad or disappointed, for that matter) life offers a host of ways to not really feel those negative feelings. (For example: drugs and alcohol. Facebook. Staying really busy.)

The problem is that when we numb unpleasant feelings, we numb everything that we are feeling. So to feel the positive things in life—like love, or even just contentment—we must also let ourselves feel fear, grief, and frustration.

So today, let yourself FEEL whatever it is that you are feeling, without numbing it. Where in your body does it live? Is it in the pit of your stomach? In your throat? What, really, does it feel like?

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About the Author

Christine Carter

Christine Carter, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center. She is the author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (BenBella, 2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (Ballantine Books, 2015), and Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (Random House, 2010). A former director of the GGSC, she served for many years as author of its parenting blog, Raising Happiness. Find out more about Christine here.

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