While we like to think of ourselves as rational beings, in reality our lives are ruled by emotions. Emotions upset us, drive us, intimidate us, and inspire us. They move us to action or paralyze us in anxiety, stress, and fear. For this reason, it's natural to be somewhat wary of emotions-and do what we can to avoid them or keep them at bay.
Yet, because of the real power of emotions, learning to understand and
relate to your emotions in a more conscious, intentional, and empowered way is
essential to living a life of greater peace, love, success, enjoyment, and
purpose.
Here are 3 keys to transform your emotional experience.
Emotional Key #1: Reset the Biology of Your Emotions
Psychiatrist Dr. Judith Orloff says that "All emotions trigger
biological reactions that shape your health just as distinctly as what you
choose to eat or how you choose to exercise... how you react emotionally is a
choice in any situation-and those choices can make or break your chances for
well-being." (p.34, Emotional Freedom)
For example, when you emotionally react with worry, anxiety, and fear
this triggers a stress response in your body. Stress hormones shoot through
you, inhibiting your higher brain functions, elevating your heart rate and
respiration, shunting blood away from your internal organs to your limbs, and
shutting down your immune system in favor of sending energy to your muscles for
action.
If these conditions of stress persist long-term, your body will begin to
break down. You will not perform even the most basic functions such as
breathing and digestion efficiently or effectively. Chronic stress also
inhibits your ability to think clearly, create solutions, and relate to others
with compassion.
Therefore, it's absolutely essential that you learn to counter your
body's stress reaction by cultivating conscious relaxation and inner peace.
Whether this is by taking a break and going for a walk in nature, taking time
for recreation with your loved ones, or by learning and practicing the skills
of meditation, it's absolutely essential that you take an active role to shift
your body out of stress mode when strong emotions arise.
Emotional Key #2: Uncover The Deeper Meaning Of Your Emotions
While it's essential to learn to calm and relax yourself, it is just as
important not to shove your emotions aside. Your emotions are an invaluable
source of information, once you learn to read their language. Within each
emotional experience is a seed for greater self-awareness and higher learning.
So, when you begin to feel emotions of any kind, and especially
"negative" ones, pause to ask yourself, "What am I being shown
in this situation? How can I learn, grow, and evolve through this
experience?"
To do that, you'll first have to become aware of the specific emotion
you are feeling. This requires accepting what you are feeling completely,
without judgment. Not always an easy task.
However, see if you can take a step back and just notice what you're
feeling. See if you can break your sense of identification with it. In other
words, understand your emotion as information, not as defining who you are.
When we identify ourselves with our emotions, we are caught up in and
swept away by them. We ride on the rollercoaster of emotion, which can feel
scary and out of control.
Instead, see if you can label your emotion and notice it as a sensation
in your body. See if you can take an investigative approach. Become curious. As
you do that, you may notice that you can feel into your emotions without being
consumed by them.
What if your life is like a laboratory and your emotional experiences
are the raw data? See if you can recognize patterns in the data of your
feelings, understand what prompts them, and see what they are asking you to
realize, do, or overcome.
When you show acceptance and compassion to yourself within your own
emotional experiences, you'll naturally begin to accept and have compassion for
others in their emotional experiences, as well.
Emotions are here to teach us to move beyond our small sense of
ourselves into deeper love and wisdom. As you learn to discover the meaning and
purpose of your emotions, they become messages that guide your life.
Emotional Key #3: Use the Energy in your Emotions
While emotions contain meaningful messages, they also come with energy
to do something. This is true for so-called "negative" emotions as
well as "positive" ones. For example:
ANGER arises when you, or someone or something you love, is threatened
and you need to take protective action or set a firm boundary.
SADNESS arises when you need to let go of what no longer serves you or
what is past, so you can move forward.
FEAR arises to prompt you to take preventative action.
JOY prompts you toward expansive, expressive, creative action.
COMPASSION prompts you to care for others.
So, every emotion has a MESSAGE and ENERGY to carry out a specific type
of action. Understanding your emotions helps you to receive those messages and
take those actions.
So, as emotions come up, instead of being wary of them, what if you
became curious and asked:
What is the sensation of this emotion in my body?
Exactly what emotion is this?
What is the message in this feeling?
What is it asking me to do?"
Enjoy your practice!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9546424
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