Unconditional friendship with oneself

I wanted to share this quote from a workshop Pema Chodrin taught at Omega called “Smile at Fear”. It has helped me enormously. I’m paraphrasing.

“The biggest obstacle to unconditional friendship with oneself.

In fact to living a sane life is fear of feeling; fear of feeling what you’re feeling.

Fear of feeling unwanted, uncomfortable feelings.

Losing our fear of feeling what we’re feeling.

Opening to, turning toward’s one’s feeling.

Not reacting against what you’re feeling.

Not acting it out or repressing it.

Being fully with the experience.

In order to have friendship with oneself.”