S2 E24 Mastering Messy Emotions

Life is full of messy emotions.

Today we are sharing real-life examples and breaking it all down to see exactly how we can handle the messiness with grace, capacity, and confidence.

Every emotion serves us as long as we interpret it in a way that adds a powerful meaning to our life; something that moves us forwards instead of backwards.

MIND: Aware - Identify the emotion as it comes

Expanding our emotional vocabulary can make all the difference in understanding what's really going on inside of us. Rather than feeling "mad" or "hurt," maybe we are actually feeling jealous or inferior. Identifying the emotion when it comes up can be very instructive and help us gain a better understanding of ourselves.

Click HERE for a downloadable Feeling Wheel from the Gottman Institute.

BODY: Allow - Sit with the Sensation

There is power in experiencing emotions. It’s part of our human experience, and we are supposed to feel.

So often we push our messy emotions down or away or pretend they aren't the truth, and then they rear up causing problems later. If we can learn to sit with the uncomfortable sensations, knowing that they aren't a sign of weakness and our value is not at stake, then we can learn a lesson from the uncomfortable messenger of messy emotions.

PURPOSE: Assess - What is the underlying wisdom?

Assessing our messy emotions is not about punishing ourselves or justifying ourselves. Rather, it’s about coming to the center of compassion, curiosity and understanding.

Generally, when we truly gain a new perspective or new wisdom surrounding a messy emotion, there is an element of increased love. There's a new way of understanding ourselves and each other, and new way we get to practice love-- and that's actually what we are here on earth for-- to practice our capacity to love.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michelle48/message