Have you seen the recent commercials with an orange monster named “Hunger” running around tempting people to eat junk food? Similar to unchecked hunger, feelings and emotions like anger, fear, and worry are considered negative.  These feelings can cause a great deal of internal pain as well as lead to difficulties in relationships. You may want to change these feelings, but find it is challenging.

One useful method is the process of thinking of the feeling or emotion as something separate from the self, something to call by its name instead of only experiencing it as a sensation. The concept of the “Hunger” monster is an example of this process. While it may be difficult to tackle the sensation of hunger, it becomes easier to battle an enemy which has a name and can be visualized.  In practical terms, think of an emotion that is difficult to manage. Sit down with a piece of paper and draw what this emotion may look like. Write its name. List all the things that you might feel when the emotion is lurking around, so that you can recognize it.  Then, when you feel that emotion start to emerge, picture the emotion, call it by name, and tell it that you are in charge.  Tell it to stand down and then proceed to intentionally tackle your thinking.  You will have more clarity and more freedom to deal with these difficult feelings.