When was the last time you experienced stress, anxiety, sadness or another tender or uncomfortable emotion? 

Did you notice an instinctual urge to make it go away or fix it? 

For many of us, fixing, numbing or suppressing our emotions has become a well practised way of coping in difficult moments. 

We might pick up our phone and scroll through our social media feed, get busy with our to-do list, or eat food that feels particularly comforting - without truly noticing.

These strategies often serve us well for a while. 

They may have enabled us to cope with emotions that felt too overwhelming to open ourselves up to, without the fear of drowning in them. 

But they are not sustainable. 

They often leave the underlying emotions unresolved.