Sit With It
November invites us inward as the days grow quieter, the light softens, and life naturally slows. It creates time and space to hear what’s been waiting beneath the surface. Our theme this month is “Sit with It” - but what does that actually entail?
To sit with it means allowing our thoughts, sensations, emotions, or memories to arise without immediately trying to fix, soothe, distract, or rationalize them away.
It doesn’t ask us to stay in pain—only to pause long enough to understand what the pain is trying to say.
Why the Invitation to Sit With It?
It’s natural to want to push away discomfort—our brains are wired to pull away from anything that feels threatening.. But while avoidance brings relief in the moment, it often creates more suffering in the long term..
When we avoid a feeling, we unintentionally teach the nervous system:
“This is too much. I can’t handle it.”
Over time, emotions feel bigger, scarier, and harder to face.
Unfelt feelings don’t disappear—they wait. They show up as anxiety, irritability, tension, exhaustion, or self-doubt. Avoidance may bring short-term relief, but it keeps emotions stuck and prevents healing.
Sitting with feelings, even for just a few seconds, sends a new message to the body:
“This is uncomfortable, but it’s not dangerous.”
And when we allow emotions to be felt, they soften, move through us, and eventually settle.
Avoiding feelings shrinks our world. When people avoid certain emotions, they often end up avoiding situations that might evoke them. Avoidance trades short-term comfort for long-term limitation
Our emotional life carries important information about our needs, our limits, our values, our boundaries and what matters most. Avoidance cuts us off from this inner guidance. Sitting with feelings reconnects us to our truth and our selves.
“Sitting with it” can feel vulnerable or unfamiliar because our bodies learned to protect us through avoidance, over-functioning, or shutting down.
This is why we practice.
HOW TO GENTLY SIT WITH IT
1 - Start with 10 seconds
Sitting with a feeling doesn’t require 10 minutes. Try: “For 10 seconds, I’ll notice this sensation before doing anything else.” Inhale for 4 and exhale for 6. Remember to breath through this process.
Small doses build tolerance.
2 - Name what’s present
Not perfectly. Not poetically. Just enough to acknowledge it. “There’s tightness.” “There’s sadness.” There’s fear.” “There’s an urge to run.”
Naming turns chaos into information.
3 - Add an anchor
Choose one:
a. Hand on the chest
b. Feet on the ground
c. A warm cup in your hands
d. Slow exhale through the mouth
Anchors remind the nervous system that you are safe right now.
4 - Ask a soft question
Instead of “Why am I like this?” try:
“What is this part of me needing?” “How long has this feeling been waiting for me?” “Is this mine, or is this old?” What would support look like in this moment?”
Curiosity transforms discomfort.
5 - Finish with a gesture of care
Choose one:
a. A deep breath
b. A stretch
c. A sip of water
d. A reminder: “I don’t have to solve this today.”
Sitting with something is an act of care, and so is knowing when to stop.
“Sitting with it” is not a demand—it’s an invitation.
A moment of bravery.
A doorway into peace.
And if emotions surface, if old layers come forward, or if you simply want a space to be witnessed—Soulshine Sanctuary is here for you. You’re always welcome to reach out for support, grounding, or guidance. Sometimes healing begins with a single conversation, a breath shared with someone who cares, or a soft place to land.
Contact us today: info@soulshinesanctuary.ca
