An ongoing practice in Conscious Living is allowing yourself to feel your emotions. Yes, of course you feel them when they occur, but this practice encourages you to accept and experience your emotions – positive and negative – without letting them control your thoughts, decisions, or actions.

Showing anger is generally not socially acceptable, so we hold it in. However, we can still acknowledge how we feel internally, live with it for a moment, and let the emotion evolve into something else. Hendricks calls this giving your feelings room to breathe. Paradoxically, when you accept your emotions, it’s easier to let them go or – if you’re having a good feeling – to enjoy them.

What does this have to do with writing?

Our creative practice brings up all kinds of feelings. I might feel angry that my loved ones aren’t as supportive of my creative work as I’d like. I might feel jealous towards others who have that intimate encouragement. When I read a great book, I might despair that I’ll never rise to that level of talent. I might feel depressed at the number of years that have gone by without any notable creative success. I might feel joy when I unravel a story problem or work through a plot blockade.

It’s ok to feel those things. Don’t bottle them up. Give yourself the space to experience whatever emotions your creative practice brings up and then let them go on their way.