by Laura Storey
Earlier this week, I was walking down the street when I overheard a conversation between two people standing on a corner. One of them was sharing something deeply painful—a frustration about life not turning out the way they had hoped. What struck me most was the heaviness in their voice. It sounded like they were completely merged with their frustration and anger, lost in it.
Listening from a distance, I could sense just how overwhelmed they felt. They were caught in an emotional spiral without a way out. In that moment, I wished I could offer them the gift of Focusing—not to fix or change anything, but to help them create a little more space around their experience… A way to sit beside these big, intense feelings instead of being consumed by them.
Because when we can keep company with our emotions, rather than being swept away, it changes everything. It’s the difference between drowning in a wave and learning how to surf it.
This experience reminded me, once again, how powerful it can be to have a tool like Focusing to help us pause and just be present with what we feel. Even when it’s messy. Even when it’s painful.
What Is Focusing?
Focusing is a practice that helps you create space for your emotions. It allows you to connect with the felt sense of what’s happening inside, offering a way to move through intense feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them. When we can stay with our emotions—really stay, without pushing them away or drowning in them—we start to build a different relationship with ourselves. We’re no longer at the mercy of these waves; we learn to ride them.
Why Does It Matter?
We often think of emotions as something to conquer or control, but Focusing shows us that there’s another way. It’s not about making feelings go away. It’s about making room. When we can be present with emotions like anger, sadness, or fear, we start to understand them better. They become less of an enemy and more like a messenger, showing us where we need care and attention.
It’s like sitting beside a friend who’s hurting—just being there, offering presence, without needing to rush in and fix anything. In that space, something powerful happens. There’s a shift. A little more light comes in, a little more breath. And with that, we find that we’re not as stuck as we thought we were.
An Invitation
If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck in the intensity of your emotions, like they’re just too big to hold—know that there’s another way. Focusing offers a path to shift your relationship with these parts of yourself.
Instead of being swept away by the storm, Focusing helps you find your footing. It offers a way to pause, breathe, and say to yourself: I’m here with this. Noticing the wave. Staying with it. And slowly, bit by bit, feeling it lose its power over you.
Because when we can hold space for our emotions, we hold space for ourselves. And that changes everything.
