The Lost Art of Sitting With It

The Lost Art of Sitting With It

In a culture obsessed with fixing, hacking, and moving on, we’ve forgotten the quiet power of simply… sitting with it. Whether “it” is a heartbreak, a failed project, or the gnawing anxiety of the unknown, our instinct is to smother discomfort with solutions or distractions.

But emotions aren’t problems to be solved — they’re experiences to be witnessed. Just as you can’t rush a seed into a tree, you can’t fast-forward grief, fear, or even joy. The real work isn’t in “getting over it.” It’s in getting through it.

When we stop treating emotions like unruly guests and start listening as if they’re teachers, something shifts. Patience grows. Self-awareness deepens. And slowly, we learn that the capacity to sit with it — without judgement, without rushing — is not weakness. It’s emotional strength in its purest form.

Maybe today, give yourself permission to pause. Not to plot a next move, but to simply feel the space you’re in. You might be surprised at what settles in when nothing’s being forced out.