Life is full of ups and downs, where it can feel like the shit hitting the fan will never end.
This is a guaranteed part of life.
But like old mate Tony Robbins says, pain is part of life; suffering is optional.
Granted, when life gives you lemons, you can feel very triggered, angry, hurt, upset, resentful, bitter… and if this goes on for long enough you risk burnout, anxiety and depression.
We can be our own worst enemy at these times.
There are events that are out of control, and we can’t control what others do – we can only control how we respond to it/them.
We often don’t know how our fight/flight primal brain will react to a situation until it happens (however, there are things we can do on a daily basis to calm our nervous system so that it doesn’t over react – stay tuned for a blog on this).
However, once the initial triggering event has happened, we can either choose to stay submerged in the negative feelings about it (and potentially drown), or we can choose to do a bunch of things that may help us.
To manage your emotions, there are plenty of things you can do such as:
– do some exercise, whatever kind of exercise you enjoy – I love a good heavy weights session to some loud drum n bass if I’m stressed out or pissed off. Do whatever floats your boat. Exercise helps release happy chemicals in your body.
– meditate
– talk to a friend, Counsellor or Coach, or your GP
– write out your feelings
– use EFT (tapping)
– spend time in nature
– hang out with animals
One of my favourite things to do now to process emotions is to just be still, breathe, and allow the feeling to move through my body.
It feels counter-intuitive to do this as our whole culture is built around avoidance of feelings to a degree.
We learn to stifle our feelings.
We learn it’s not safe to cry in front of others – maybe in the past we’ve been told to toughen up, scolded, or taken the piss out of.
It hurts to actually allow ourselves to feel the feeling.
We bury ourselves in being busy, with a never ending to do list, or avoiding being alone with our own thoughts or feelings.
Here’s a challenge for you.
Next time an uncomfortable emotion comes up, allow it to be there.
Notice it, breathe.
Feel it.
You’ll notice the feeling amplifies.
Don’t overthink it or question why it’s there.
Just breathe.
Surrender, release, let go.
Notice the different sensations in your body as you do this. Feel the energy move around.
Cry if you need to. Laugh. Scream. Whatever it takes to release it (in a safe way).
When you start to feel your way through your emotions, you start to process them.
You start to feel lighter.
You connect more to who you really are, without all the emotional baggage in the way.
Give it a nudge, and let me know how you go.
Catcha on the flip side,
