This post is about week 5 of the mindfulness course I did.
Something amazing happened on the weekend; I dialled down an emotional reaction!
I have never done that before. I am certain it’s because I have been practicing mindfulness that I was able to prevent a feeling overwhelming me, stop thoughts endlessly revolving and save an afternoon from being ruined. I was walking the beach promenade with a friend and something I did made them feel uncomfortable so they told me to quit. Straightaway I was stopped in my tracks, I felt really small as if I was being told off (and judged) by a parent.
I didn't know what to do with myself and the reaction that was rising in me. I walked away and then I came back, then I walked away again (was this fight or flight?). I really did just want to go but instead I came back and sat on a bench.
You have to be intentional about calming down; it will not happen naturally. Remember, when you are emotionally flooded, you are offline from your higher brain. Calming down automatically gets you back online. But because calming down is challenging you need a strategy (Coleen O'Grady)
I looked out to sea and focused on the waves. I didn't go where my mind was tugging me instead I breathed slow and deep. I dropped my anchor in my safe place. My body relaxed, my mind became calm.
The feeling moved through me and was gone. I had worked with emotional energy for the first time in my life.
Outcomes/learning points
Being able to stand in a spotlight of self-awareness and see what’s happening within is a skill.
Skills develop with practice. All things, people and situations provide opportunities for practice.
THinc : Energy in motion (E-motion)
References
Photo by Jane Carmona on Unsplash