7 Steps To Move Through Unwanted Emotions
In life emotions come up.
They’re completely unavoidable.
ESPECIALLY during this pandemic.
It is completely normal and okay to feel sad, scared, angry or and frustrated.
But it is NOT normal to let those emotions interrupt and sway our lives and businesses.
As an entrepreneur, and human, it’s pivotal we move through our unwanted emotions to come out on the other side with a new perspective.
A perspective that could be the difference between making fearful choices or inspired action.
Which would you choose?
Here are 7 steps to healthfully move through unwanted emotions and feel focused and clear!
#1 Feel It All
One of the reasons we find ourselves stuck in negative emotion is because we push it away.
We want to bury the emotion.
Make it go away.
So we cope by distracting ourselves through TV, scrolling through Instagram, drinking or eating.
But what we really need is to stop running and start FEELING.
Sit in the emotion and really feel it all.
Scream into a pillow, cry, laugh or journal it out.
DO WHAT YOU’VE GOTTA DO.
Once you feel the emotion you are giving it permission to leave the body, instead of shoving it down for another time.
#2 Affirm
Remind yourself of what is true.
What is true is what is right in front of us.
Say aloud:
I AM HERE.
I AM ALIVE.
I AM SAFE.
Repeat this to yourself if feelings arise to calm the mind and bring you back down to Earth.
#3 Ask For Help
You are not going through difficult times alone.
With quarantine it can feel especially isolating, but there are millions of others experiencing the same emotions.
Reach out to those you love and trust for help.
Chances are they have felt the same way.
Your problems are NOT a burden.
Your emotions are NOT trivial.
Lean into others and allow yourself to receive empathy.
Just because we are social distancing does not mean to isolate.
#4 Go Tech- Free
Okay, maybe not COMPLETELY tech-free.
I know it is hard to give up our phones.
But right now more than ever we are glued to technology.
We’re listening to more news and absorbing mixed information.
This causes us to subconsciously take on more fear.
Fear keeps us STUCK.
For 30 minutes a day try putting down the phone, get your eyes away from the screen and get outside.
Getting outside away from our phones activates the parasympathetic nervous system so we can shift into feeling cool, calm and collected.
#5 Take 5-10 Deep Breathes
Like getting outside, deep breathing is the best way to bring us back into the body and out of the mind.
It activates the parasympathetic nervous system to escape fight or flight.
So close your eyes and take 5-10 deep breaths.
Focus all of your attention on what the air feels like coming into and out of your body.
Notice how the thoughts and tightness begin to smooth out.
#6 Create Boundaries
If you’re feeling unwanted emotions, sometimes a boundary needs to be made.
Either others are crossing our boundaries or we are negligent of what it is we actually need.
Setting boundaries means knowing what to spend your precious energy on.
They help us move into doing more of what we love, and suffering less doing what we don’t.
So check in...
“Are there boundaries I need to set?”
#7 Brain Dump
One of my favorite practices is brain dumping.
If emotions still feel heightened or incomplete, it helps get them OUT of our heads and onto paper.
Brain dump by expressing your internal emotions on a journal or sheet of paper.
Ask yourself…
How am I really feeling?
What does this emotion feel like in my body?
What am I making this emotion mean about me?
How long do I need to move through this emotion?
Give yourself free reign to write anything and everything that comes up without judgement.
Keep writing until you feel complete with that emotion and can look at it with a sense of objectivity.
So, how are you feeling right now? How are you moving through unwanted emotions?
My comments are always open.
Love you,
Hannah