Emotions are the Language of our Subconscious,
Last week, I was emotionally triggered.
The feeling came on unexpectedly, and I felt the ripples of adrenaline and cortisol run through my blood, making me feel alert and on edge.
This used to be my norm, I would spend much of my day operating under stress, and moving from this reactionary place.
It snowballed into an experience of anxiety for me that was very present from my teens to early twenties.
Now, thanks to being on this vitalistic journey for close to a decade, I no longer experience this feeling regularly. Today, when I get a glimpse of these feelings, it a great reminder to realize what this biological response is designed for and to share with you what I do to help my body as it returns to homeostasis.
First, stress responses are natural, they are a part of our biological design. We all experience them from time to time, and the key to maintaining our vitality is that we want to be able to down regulate and returns to balance afterwards.
Here are 3 tools that support my body to move through a stress response:
1) Slow down my breath. Breathe into the diaphragm, lengthen my exhale. Close eyes, reduce stimulus, place hands on my belly.
2) Tune in. Do I feel an EXCESS of energy or a DEPLETION of energy?
In accordance, I will either MOVE my body, in other words utilize the adrenaline and cortisol released. Or I will REST, lying flat on my back eyes closed, supporting my body in down regulating from this state.
3) Default to my values. When I am emotionally triggered, I am not as clear-minded. This means my perceptual lens may be tainted by hurt feelings, judgements, etc. and I need to rely on what I value rather than my underlying emotional state to guide me in the moment.
Emotions are the language of the subconscious, they can indicate where we are at internally "below the surface," and they can be utilized to access more of our potential. This month we will continue to explore the relationship between our mind-body-emotions and our full potential.
If you have any questions you would like me to address, reply to this email :)
"To awaken human emotion is the highest level of art."
-I. Duncan
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