MANAGING EMOTIONS

The following are a few ways which you can support yourself in connecting with your emotions and feelings.

RELAX

Sit in a comfortable and quiet place where you will not be disturbed
Allow your body to relax, soften and become heavy in the chair

Take a few deep breaths

FOCUS

Then bring to mind a situation or event or a particular relationship in your life.

Maybe something that is causing you anxiety, concern or irritation, but not something traumatic.

Now as you pay attention to your body, see if you can identify how you feel in relation to that situation, event or person

SAY NO to YOUR INNER EXPERIENCE

Firstly, imagine that you push the feelings and sensations associated with this event away from you – that you choose to say NO. You don’t want to feel these feelings.

Really try now to push them right away.

Notice what happens inside you as you do this with eyes closed

What happens?

SAY YES to YOUR INNER EXPERIENCE

Now make the decision to do the opposite – say YES to your inner experience

NAME

Try to put words on the sensation in your body: see if you can name it

Stay with it – maybe there is more than one feeling there

“This is … sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, happiness, fearfulness or contempt” … or whatever it is

GO DEEPER

Once you have identified the feeling you might ask yourself:

Where is the emotion or feeling in my body?

Can I intuitively describe it (i.e. without thinking about it too hard)?

Does it seem to have a shape?

Does it seem to have a colour?

Does it seem to have a particular texture?

Making the description more material can support you in feeling the emotion or sensation

EXPERIENCE

Allow the feeling or emotion to just be

Welcome it in even though it may be an uncomfortable feeling – say YES to it

Give it your full and undivided attention

Really sit with it and experience it

EXPAND

Breathe into it with some deep breaths

Allow what unfolds

NURTURE YOURSELF

Remind yourself of your inherent inner goodness

Maybe say: “I am a simply human being experiencing human emotions”

JOURNAL

Afterwards you might like to make some journal notes about what happened when you said No to your inner experience

And then when you said Yes and invited the emotional experience in allowing and investigating your inner experience.