As soon as you start feeling the emotion you've chosen to work on,
Do the following procedure.
Take three or four deep diaphragmatic breaths.
Notice how the breath feels in your throat as it fills your lungs and as it stretches your diaphragm.
While breathing slowly,
Notice how you feel inside your body,
Particularly your stomach and chest.
Notice your neck and shoulders and face.
Notice how you feel emotionally.
Just keep your attention on the feeling until you have a sense of it.
Describe that feeling to yourself.
Label it.
Notice the strength of the feeling.
Find words to describe the intensity.
Notice if the emotion is growing or diminishing.
If the emotion were a wave,
At what point of the wave are you at now?
Ascending on the leading edge,
On the crest,
Beginning to slide down the far side?
Now notice any changes in the feeling.
Are there other emotions beginning to weave into the first one?
Describe to yourself any new emotions that have appeared.
Just keep watching and looking for words to describe the slightest change in the quality or intensity of your feelings.
As you continue to watch,
You may notice a need to block the emotion,
To push it away.
That's normal,
But try to keep watching your emotions for just a little while longer.
Just keep describing to yourself what you feel and noticing any changes.
Notice what it's like not to act on your feelings,
Not to blow up or avoid,
Not to hurt yourself.
Just be aware of the feeling without action,
Watching but not doing.
Remind yourself that this is a wave that passes,
Like countless other emotional waves in your life.
Waves come and go.
There are many times when you felt good.
Soon this wave will pass and you will feel again a period of calm.
Watch the wave and let it slowly pass.
If judgment about yourself or another arises,
Notice it and let it go.
If you have a judgment about feeling this emotion,
Notice that and let it go.
As best you can,
Try to accept this feeling.
It is just one of life's struggles.
Stay aware of your emotions just a little longer.
If they are changing,
Let them change.
Describe to yourself what you feel.
Keep watching until the emotion either changes or diminishes.
Finish this exercise now with a few minutes of mindful breathing,
Counting your breaths and focusing on the experience of each breath.
Remember,
The key steps to doing the emotion exposure exercise are focusing on your breathing,
Notice how you feel inside your body,
Notice and describe your emotion,
Notice if the feeling is growing or diminishing,
Seeing it like a wave,
Describe any emotions or changes in the quality of emotions,
Notice any need to block the emotion but keep watching,
Notice impulses to act on your emotion but keep watching without acting,
Notice judgments about yourself,
Others or the emotion itself and then let them go.
Keep watching until the emotion either changes or diminishes and then finish with a few minutes of mindful breathing.
