Tune into what is going on for you

- Let's tune into what's going on for you. Be here now and ask yourself, am I feeling discomfort? Where am I feeling it? And why? We're not going to try and remove that unpleasant feeling. In fact, we want to learn to welcome it and observe what it is telling you. Now, I know the temptation here is strong avoidance. It's much nicer to see what cat memes the internet has on offer. But here's a metaphor I always find helpful for thinking about avoidance. I learned it from work in acceptance and commitment therapy, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, that teaches psychological flexibility. Imagine that unpleasant sensation is a beach ball. You're trying to hold it underwater. The more you try to push it down, the harder it is to keep it there. Eventually it rushes back up to the surface, right? Maybe even with stronger force than before. But what if you allowed the ball to just be observing it as it bobs around? And now let's focus on understanding it. Ask yourself those…