Every day, we encounter challenges that stir a variety of emotions in us. While we may not be aware of it, we experience these emotions in our bodies. Research has demonstrated the human beings across the world experience similar bodily sensations in response to six basic and seven complex emotions: Anger, Fear, Disgust, Happiness, Sadness, and Surprise (the basic emotions), as well as Anxiety, Love, Depression, Contempt, Pride, Shame, and Envy (the complex emotions) (https://www.pnas.org/content/111/2/646.full). When we resist or suppress our emotions, our bodies carry additional tension, which can thwart emotion processing and contribute to a generalized disequilibrium.
Join Dr. Taveras for a brief mindfulness exercise in which she guides you to work with and through difficult emotions. This practice may bolster your ability to identify and name your emotions, to discover where you experience emotions in your body, as well as to soften, soothe, and allow these emotions to just be, for now.
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