Validate Your Feelings

Validating your feelings is the first step to improving the reality of your inner experience. Foster a gentler and more accepting stance with your feelings. If you experience anxiety, overwhelm, stress, or any form of distress for a reason, it makes sense for you to feel this way. Tune into your feelings with curiosity and kindness.

Transcript

So let's spend some time now validating your anxiety or any other form of distress you are experiencing.

Sit or lie down quietly.

You may want to close your eyes and place your hands in a relaxed position by your sides.

Ensure that your hands are open and relaxed.

Now take some slow,

Deep breaths.

Tune into the way you are feeling.

Gently observe how you feel.

You may notice physical sensations.

You may notice images or thoughts related to your feelings.

Continue to breathe at a pace that feels comfortable to you.

You can validate your anxiety no matter how it shows up.

Validation is about stating and accepting the facts of how you are feeling.

Tune into your feeling with curiosity and kindness.

And then say to yourself,

I feel anxious and it's okay.

Or it makes sense for me to feel this way.

Or even though I don't understand why,

I accept that I am feeling anxious.

Or choose a validating statement that works for you.

Take a few deep breaths as you say this to yourself.

Reducing distress in any form reduces its impact and it is the first step toward taking effective action to improve your internal quality of life.

Even if you can't do anything to improve the reality of your current circumstances,

You can do something to improve the reality of your inner experiences.

Any time anxiety shows up,

Or any form of distress,

First notice it and identify what you are feeling.

Observe the feeling non-judgmentally and then say to yourself,

It makes sense for me to feel this way.

Or choose another validating statement that works for you and the particular circumstance.

Take a few deep breaths,

Continue to practice your validating statement.

And as you validate your feelings,

You foster a gentler,

More accepting stance toward yourself.

Take a couple more breaths,

Inhale and exhale.

And when you are ready,

Open up your eyes and come back to full alertness.