Stop Resisting: How I Learned to Feel My Feelings

Introduction
I recently had an experience at Disney World that made me rethink how we process emotions. On day two of an 8-day trip, I found myself coming off a rollercoaster, feeling physically shaken and emotionally overwhelmed. My first instinct was to analyze everything — to “process” what had just happened. But what I didn’t realize was that I wasn’t really processing my emotions at all.

The Moment of Realization
As I stood there, my body telling me I was overwhelmed (shaky back, churning stomach, headache), my friend turned to me and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to process what just happened,” I told her.

She smiled and said, “Just feel your feelings.”

In that moment, I realized I wasn’t actually feeling anything. I was just overthinking, worrying, and looping. My friend’s advice was simple: feel what’s happening in my body, not what was happening in my head.

What Happened Next?
I took her advice, and what I learned in that moment felt like magic. By dropping into my body and acknowledging what I was feeling — without judgment or trying to fix it — the sensation cleared immediately. I wasn’t trying to make the discomfort go away; I was just being with it.

That day, I was able to ride every single ride for the rest of the trip (except one, but that’s another story!) And it wasn’t just about getting through the day; it was about enjoying every moment without letting the stress and anxiety take over.

Why This Matters
When we resist our emotions — when we try to “think” our way out of them or analyze them to death — we only create more resistance. The feeling intensifies. But when we actually feel our feelings and notice how they show up in our body, they dissipate naturally.

It’s simple, but not always easy.

Closing Thought
The next time you find yourself caught in a loop of overthinking or resisting your feelings, ask yourself:
Am I feeling this, or am I just thinking about it?
And if you’re just thinking, stop, drop into your body, and feel. It makes all the difference.