You Need to Sit With the Yuck to Move Past It
You’ve Probably Never Learned This Skill: Part 3 of 5 in Our Personal Leadership Challenge
TL;DR:
We instinctively avoid uncomfortable emotions by distracting ourselves or staying busy.
These emotions actually carry important messages about what matters to us.
Next time you feel anxious, afraid, or upset, set a 3-minute timer instead of avoiding it.
Notice where you feel it in your body, name the emotion, and ask what it’s trying to tell you.
You’ll learn to respond to challenges with wisdom instead of knee-jerk reactions.
Today is Day 3 of our Personal Leadership Challenge, and we’re exploring an essential skill that most of us never learned: how to sit with difficult emotions and let them teach us, rather than trying to outrun them.
I know this might sound uncomfortable, maybe even a bit woo-woo. But when you learn to stay present in these challenging moments, you discover something powerful – your emotions aren’t enemies to be avoided, but messengers carrying wisdom about what matters most to you.
As a reminder, here’s what you can expect throughout the Personal Leadership Challenge:
Day 3: Coach Yourself Through Hard Moments (You Are Here)
Day 4: Set Healthy Boundaries to Protect Your Energy
Day 5: Have a Meaningful Conversation
The Power of Sitting with Discomfort
Think about how you typically handle those gut-punch moments in life – the argument with your partner that left you seething, the mistake that keeps you up at night, or the decision you’re afraid to make.
Most of us are masters of avoidance, reaching for our phones, diving into work, or finding any distraction to escape the discomfort. But this rush to fix, solve, or escape robs you of vital information your emotions are trying to convey about what matters most to you.
When you give yourself permission to sit with these emotions instead, everything shifts.
That post-argument anger might reveal a boundary you need to set in your relationship.
The late-night anxiety about your mistake could be pointing to a value you hold dear that you’ve drifted away from.
That decision you’re avoiding? The fear might actually be highlighting what you most desire.
By staying present with uncomfortable feelings instead of pushing them aside, you transform them from overwhelming experiences into valuable insights about who you are and what you need.
Let’s see how this plays out in an example. 👇
When Fear Becomes Your Teacher
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