An emotion can be quite an overwhelming experience. Sometimes they show up in situations when we really don’t want them to. Yet holding them back can be a challenging task.
It’s as if they have a mind of their own.
We tend to categorize our emotions into negative and positive ones, insinuating that the negative ones are ‘bad’ or ‘not good to have’ on one hand, and that the positive ones, also known as the 'good' emotions should be dominant.
And yet, we all experience anger, fear, apathy and rage.
What I would like you to know is that an emotion is just a feeling. Experiencing an emotion is an indicator that our system, mind body and soul, is functional and that we are human🌟 It would be delusional to think that we could navigate through life emotion free!
Did you know that
Holding an emotion back, resisting it or judging it will only enhance it?
Instead, why not take a deep breath, brace yourself and try and get curious about it. Slow it down through your breath and gradually create some space around it to better observe what else is happening?
Do you notice that your jaw is clenched? Or your fists are holding tight? Or your toes are curled? Is there a frown on your forehead? Or is your belly held in?
What else do you notice?
The way you react to an emotion is the change itself. When habitually you would have resisted, judged yourself or felt shame for having an emotion, now you get curious and start observing.
Next time you have an emotion, try this out and see what happens: take a deep breath, and just watch your emotion happen. Your mind will want to make sense of it. Thank your mind for doing what it does and shift your attention back to the experience of the emotion.
