Many people struggle with overwhelming emotions. It's as if the knob was turned to the maximum
volume on much of what they feel. When they are angry, sad or scared, it looks like a big,
powerful wave that can carry them off their feet.
If you've dealt with overwhelming emotions in your life, you know what we're talking about. The
these are days when your feelings hit you like a tsunami. And when it does, it does
you are naturally afraid to hear things because you don't want to be blown away by yours
emotions. The problem is that the more you try to suppress or hold back your emotions, the more
overwhelming they can get. We will talk about this in chapters 6 and 7 on emotional regulation.
What's important to know now is that trying to shut down your feelings doesn't work.