Feeling Bad Is Actually Good 159
their mood, whereas others turn to tension- relieving hobbies or
vices such as alcohol and/or drugs. Once you have identified a list
of emotion-enhancing strategies, keep track of how often you use
them throughout the following week (or for a month, if you want a
real challenge). While so doing, analyze these emotions using the
previous practice.
An imbalance between positive and negative emotion
can also have unintended effects in terms of the authenticity
of your emotional responses. Authentic emotional responses
are emotions that ref lect your personal values and how you
feel based on the circumstances of your life (Haybron 2014).
These emotions are typically characterized by sincerity or
genuineness and spontaneity. Children, for example, have a
great ability to authentically express their emotions; they
rarely attempt to protect or shield themselves or others from
their emotional experiences.
Cultivating authentic emotional experiences requires
learning to tolerate emotions regardless of their valence. This
entails openness to your emotional experiences irrespective
of how they make you feel and allowing them to develop
naturally without trying to avoid or escape the reality of
your current situation. It also requires mindful awareness of
your long- term goals (to reduce your anxiety and increase
your well- being) rather than focusing on short- term goals
(such as to alleviate your present- moment suffering).
Striving for authenticity in your emotional responses facili-
tates learning how to appropriately cope with your emotions
as well as validates and increases your chance of more fully
accepting your emotional experiences. Although you may
be inclined to turn to positive emotion to assuage your
anxiety, locating the proper balance between positive and