How to (actually) process your emotions and why your health depends on it.
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE:
Most of us never learn one of the most important skill a human being can have: how to understand and process our emotions.
Instead we're taught to repress what we feel. To numb, distract, or avoid our emotions. Which is why many of us live with anxiety, chronic pain, and depression. Even our mental health system seeks to repress the symptoms of "negative" emotions.
Emotions aren't mean to be repressed. Our emotions are our internal guidance system. They are looking to be understood, questioned, and released. This is in all ancient traditions self mastery was the focus. They knew our internal world shaped our reality.
HOW TO PROCESS YOUR EMOTIONS:
1. NAME THEM: you feel a flash of anger. Immediately you're uncomfortable. Instead of wishing you felt differently, breathe. Naming the emotion separates us from being the emotion.
Ex: "Right now, I feel angry."
1. NAME THEM: you feel a flash of anger. Immediately you're uncomfortable. Instead of wishing you felt differently, breathe. Naming the emotion separates us from being the emotion.
Ex: "Right now, I feel angry."
2. GET CURIOUS: grab a journal or notepad on your phone. Write down what thoughts you had or what you just said to yourself before you felt angry. This is the most important part of emotional processing because you're going to learn your patterns.
3. QUESTION: look at what you wrote down and ask yourself if that's a 100% true statement.
Ex: "I thought about how I am an idiot for trusting the wrong people."
Then ask: is that 100% true or have you also trusted people who've been there for you?
Ex: "I thought about how I am an idiot for trusting the wrong people."
Then ask: is that 100% true or have you also trusted people who've been there for you?
4. ACCEPT: go into a quiet place and be with your anger. You might reflect on what you learned from this. You might let yourself cry. Just be still. When we don't try to change emotions, they actually fade.
Think of your emotions as a small child. Emotions change quickly, they're fickle, and they just need to be acknowledged. The more you say to yourself: "It's safe to feel this way and this will pass" the more you can flow through emotional states.
We were meant to flow through emotions, not be hijacked by them.
Bookmark this to build this important skill.
Get on the waitlist for @selfhealerscirc if you want to learn more emotional skills; selfhealerscircle.com
Bookmark this to build this important skill.
Get on the waitlist for @selfhealerscirc if you want to learn more emotional skills; selfhealerscircle.com
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