Destructive influences, like pests in a garden, spread dis-ease and hardship. Throughout this challenge we’ve spoken of destructive influences, such as those that show up as negative thoughts, critical talk and fears. Today we’ll look at another influence that can cause pain, which actually starts with an attempt to avoid pain: our emotions.
In our society, we’re influenced to suppress our emotions. We get it in to our heads that we’re supposed to feel happy all the time. We numb out by binge-watching television, or shopping, or drinking a little too much or scrolling through social media feeds just to fill the time. Distractions.
Unfortunately, the emotion bottles up and gets stored in our bodies. I realize some of you may be thinking you over-process emotions or that you’re always emotional. But even then, pay attention to whether you’re processing the same emotional pattern, perhaps even using it to distract you from an unfamiliar, newer source of pain.
A quick list of emotions to keep in mind to scan for while you listen to this reflection include: resentment, hostility, anger, powerlessness, guilt, insecurity, unworthiness, hatred, revenge, blame, worry, doubt, disappointment, frustration, blame, pessimism, feeling overwhelmed. Each of these emotions has something to tell you, when you pause to listen.
An emotion is just a way you express a reaction to something. Perhaps someone crossed a boundary with you, and you reacted with anger. If you slow down to notice how you feel, you can start to uncover why you feel that way. You can establish, or re-establish, a boundary. However, if you don’t slow down to notice the feeling or try to suppress the anger, it builds up and creates resentment and hostility.
Begin by noticing the emotion, and then start to process how you feel. As you process the feelings, you can begin to let go of the emotions you don’t want to keep.
I’ll give you two different approaches to help you scan to see different emotions that may be in your subconscious.
Ready to begin?
First, pause for this moment and totally focus on yourself. Close your eyes. Let all the distractions fall away. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ask yourself, how do I feel right now? Hold space for the emotion. As you breathe out, imagine the emotion drifting away. If this feels helpful, continue. Feel the emotion, hold space for it, breathe out, let it drift away.
Alternatively, with each breath, scan your body, Find any spot that seems to be asking for attention. Perhaps you feel physical pain, a warm feeling, a cold feeling or perhaps something feels stuck. Place your attention there. Send love to that place. Silently assess the emotional feeling that’s behind that place. You can even ask, how do you feel? Is there something you would like to express? Listen to the response. Your body is eager to speak with you. Your body loves connection. We are eager for connection.
Center in on this thought: It is an act of self-love to allow myself to feel.
Give yourself a hug, a round of applause and a pat on the back.
If you’d like to explore another way to let go of emotion, you can try EFT (emotional freedom technique), also known as tapping therapy.
That’s it for today. Sending you blessings on blessings and big hugs. And I look forward to tomorrow with you, same time, for day twenty of 9:09 is nurture time.