Embracing the Uncomfortable Emotions with Michelle Maidenberg

Are you tired of trying to push away your "negative" emotions? What if you knew the truth that no emotion was ever really “bad” or “negative” and that all emotions had usefulness. 

In this episode, Matt O’Neill sits down with expert psychotherapist Michelle Maidenberg as she explains why facing our uncomfortable feelings - like anger, sadness, and fear - is essential for authentic happiness and personal growth. 

As they dive deep into the topic of emotional avoidance, discover why facing our uncomfortable emotions is essential for authentic happiness and personal growth. Michelle shares practical strategies for building the discipline and self-efficacy needed to make lasting changes in our lives.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: 

• The importance of embracing all emotions, not just the "good" ones

• Reframing guilt and shame as opportunities for self-reflection

• Characteristics of people living empowered, fulfilled lives

• Overcoming the "slip-fall" cycle to sustain positive behavior change

• Developing self-trust through following through on commitments

[02:48] Embracing the Uncomfortable Emotions

Michelle emphasizes the importance of not categorizing emotions as simply "good" or "bad." She explains that even uncomfortable feelings like anger, sadness, and fear serve a vital purpose in connecting us to our values and humanity. Rather than avoiding these emotions, Michelle encourages facing them head-on as opportunities for growth and self-understanding. Recognizing that we all experience a range of emotions as human beings, she stresses the need to approach the uncomfortable ones with self-compassion, using them to better understand ourselves and live more authentic, fulfilling lives.

[13:15]  Strategies for Sustained Change

A common struggle Michelle sees in her clients is the inability to sustain positive behavior changes over time. She shares concrete steps and tools to help break the "slip-fall" cycle, addressing the underlying rationalizations and core beliefs that can sabotage our best intentions. By developing self-awareness and self-compassion, we can learn to persist through setbacks and make lasting improvements in our lives.

[14:41] Facing Adversity, Building Confidence

Michelle emphasizes that living an empowered life requires accepting and facing adversity head-on. She explains that quick fixes and easy solutions are rarely the answer - true growth and fulfillment come through consistent effort and practice. By doing the hard things, even when it's challenging, we build self-efficacy and confidence in our ability to follow through on our goals and values.

Resources Mentioned: 

www.michellemaidenberg.com 

Books mentioned:

• The End of Your World

• I Am That

• The Compound Effect

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About the Guest 

Michelle Maidenberg is a psychotherapist who works with children, adolescents, teens, and adults. She is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of "Thru My Eyes," a nonprofit that offers free clinically-guided videotaping for chronically ill individuals to leave legacies for their loved ones.