Skill: Regulating Emotional Flow

A huge part of being happy is finding a flow or rhythm to life. Some say that being connected to the flow of life, in other words, our ability to navigate the razor-sharp obstacles of life, is THE key to a happy life (Letting Go of the Past to Be in the Flow of the Present). Do you remember how or when you or someone you know became addicted to distractions, challenges, chaos, and busyness? A medical doctor I worked with enlightened me that people become so used to pain and suffering that they are actually uncomfortable when they don’t have it. What!?!  The first step in being able to move toward a more satisfying life often it’s addressing our really big challenges from the past, but finding ourselves at the moment that we are in right NOW! The names for the present moment have been written about since the beginning of people attempting to figure themselves out. The subject of both religious and spiritual teachings it does not matter what you call it the ability to be able to experience this very second it time, fully and completely, is life-altering. WAY better than any drug, but also WAY more difficult to practice.  Decide for yourself what you want to call this practice, pick a resource, pick an activity that feels like a good fit for you, and do it every day, forever. Here are some names for NOW and practice resources:

  1. Power of Now
  2. Present Moment
  3. Live in the Moment
  4. Consciously Aware
  5. Mindfulness

Especially in this life-altering year of 2020, we have a great opportunity to be Whole, Happy and very Well. Let’s sew up our split seams of ourselves, right NOW, together! When I am feeling very strong emotions here is my practice:

  1. Breath: It doesn’t matter which breathing technique, they are all effective. I use different techniques for different situations. Whenever I work with someone who has panic attacks I have them look into my eyes and take SUPER deep breaths with me.
  2. Walk away from the stress: Check out the link here. The most critical component of strong emotion management is being able to sort it all out. As soon as high emotion kicks in we are no longer thinking clearly.
  3. Stop & smell the roses: As soon as I walk away I connect to something in nature. A deep inhale of the ocean, a flower, fresh fruit, or my favorite scent helps clear my head quickly.
  4. Perform an emotional check-in: I ask ME how I am feeling. SUPER critical here is that no one else can or should tell ME how I feel. It doesn’t matter if the emotion is “rational” or not, we feel how we feel. 
  5. Self-validation: Here is the more advanced practice and the part that takes very many trials usually to be able to perfect. My favorite way to sort this one out is to write about it. When I write out a situation that has caused me stress I can usually sort out why my emotions got triggered.
Emotional Flow

Published by tferrari

Over 25 years as an entrepreneur, business owner, consultant. BA in Psychology from University of California at San Diego MA from Alliant International University/California School of Professional Psychology

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