I would describe difficult emotions as any emotion that you are not comfortable with. Every person has a story, experience, family model, cultural norm, or personal belief about emotions and their expression. Some are accepted, some are not. However, they still arise and fade within you, as part of you, like a visitor for a while. How we entertain these visitors speaks volumes about our "emotional intellig ence"- being aware that emotions can drive behavior  and impact people (positively and negatively), and learning how to manage those emotions- both our own and others- especially  under pressure. (Inst. of Health and Human Potential) Consider Rumi in The Guest House... "This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes As an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, ...