The fastest way to freedom is to feel your feelings - Gita Bellin
I’ve been exploring a new approach as part of my coaching program—tuning into the shifting emotions within my body. Sometimes, I feel nothing at all. Other times, an emotion feels like a heavy weight pressing on my chest or an unsettled sensation in my stomach. What’s been most interesting is that sometimes, I notice that even when nothing overtly stressful is happening, I can still feel a lingering heaviness in my body.
In short, I’m trying to feel my way through life more, rather than think my way through it.
But why is this practice worth doing? For one, learning to recognize and sit with emotions—rather than immediately trying to fix or escape them—has the potential to reduce suffering, both for myself and for the clients I work with. Could it be that most coping mechanisms—whether food, alcohol, shopping, scrolling, or something else—ultimately stem from a desire to avoid feeling a certain emotion, whether consciously or unconsciously? If I can better understand this in myself, I can better support others in doing the same.
For me, my go-to coping mechanism isn’t food or alcohol (anymore) but excessive thinking. I try to think my way out of discomfort—analyzing, strategizing, over-examining a situation. But just like emotional eating, this rarely resolves the feeling. If anything, it makes it linger even longer.
A Common Story About Emotional Eating
A very common story I hear in sessions is that a client is “good all day.” They eat well, feel in control, but then in the evening, it all falls apart. They find themselves snacking, eating foods they don’t find acceptable, and wondering: How do I stop this cycle? They say, I do fine in all other areas of my life, but this food thing—I don’t know why I can’t figure it out.
