There is a level of emotion that comes in sometimes like an unexpected wind. It knocks everything over and takes our breath away. It causes disarray and chaos. It sends heartache to the core and dismantles our thought process into one of confusion and fear.
It asks for nothing but our full presence to feel it. The problem is we try to reorganize it all; putting things back into their right places, cleaning up the messes, creating order. This only lasts so long until the next wind swoops in and once again we are a cluttered, papers blown everywhere, overwhelmed mess.
So how do we bring peace to these unforeseen explosions of repressed emotions?
- Give the emotion presence. Label it. Feel it. You don’t have to analyze it, fix it, heal it, cure it, transform it. Just be with it.
- Write it out. Give the emotion a voice. Ask it what message it has for you.
- Shift your language from, ‘I’m angry’ to, ‘I feel angry’. Stop labeling the emotion as an identification of self. It is simply a feeling.
- Notice where it lives within your body. What part of your body reacts to that emotion? Relax into that part of your body on the exhalations.
- Give yourself permission to not have to do anything. Just breathe.
- Allow the emotion to float by. Just as your breath comes and goes, so do the emotions. If you hang onto it, it can’t float by. If you notice it, observe it, and allow it to be, it will float by more quickly. If you try to catch it, change it, examine it, you are feeding its energy and it will hang on.
- Connect to the you that notices the emotion. Who is the you that recognizes you are having a feeling moment? Drop into that part of you.
- Recognize and understand that there is a part of you that is eternally at peace regardless of what emotion is surfacing. This part of you is always available at any time.
- Spend time creating a relationship to this part of you. Some call it your Soul, your True Self, your Authentic Self. Whatever it is to you, be with that space everyday. Cultivate a deeper sense of connection to it. Feel into it. Listen into it. Discover its wisdom.
Honor your humanness. Discover the secrets of the many faceted layers of emotion within your body. It is a beautiful blessing to feel so deeply.
No matter what is happening, you have the power to choose peace. When you reclaim this power, you unplug the power cord from the emotions that no longer serve you. Remember, peacefulness is only a few breaths away.
In gratitude,
Kate
