Have you ever experienced standing amid a raging storm, an emotional storm that is? How did you find the calm space in your mind and stepped outside of that emotional tornado?
Remember the last time you’ve found yourself in the middle of an emotional storm? What did you do to get out?
How can we have better reactions to the events in our life that we can’t control? How do we stop being emotionally allergic to everything?
We are human beings, and we are emotional creatures.
We feel deeply. And that is a great thing indeed up until the moment when we let those feelings break free from our control. Emotions are powerful, that is precisely why learning how to control and calm the emotional storms is equally powerful.
Let’s say, someone canceled on a meeting with you right at the last moment, or you got stood up for a date. Do you fall into frustration? Do you feel angry? Perhaps, you feel slightly amused or not at all: indifferent to what just happened.
How well are you able to step outside of the emotional storm and let it go? Or do you choose to hold onto grudges?
You see, the way we choose to respond to emotional challenges directly impacts everything we do, and we let our feelings break free from our control is quicksand way to lose what we’ve worked hard to achieve.
Life is impossible to imagine without overcoming challenges and jumping over the roadblocks here and there.
When those obstacles come up, we could there’s a temptation to react emotionally, throwing hands in the air, giving up.
Next time when you find yourself in the middle of an emotional storm, take a moment and take a deep breath in. By doing so, you are creating a pause to stop and reflect, rather than react.
What are you reacting to? Ask yourself that question every moment of every day when your peace is disturbed.
Take a Deep Breath
When you are in the middle of an emotional storm, stressing out, you’ll often start breathing faster as your body prepares itself for fight-or-flight, or you’ll hold your breath.
It’s something of a mantra that controlling your breath will wash you over with a sense of calm when you need it the most.
Science proves breathwork, an effective strategy for managing daily stress and anxiety, triggering neurons in the brain that tell the body it’s time to relax.
Meaning, when you are focusing on your breathing, you are physically forcing your entire body to calm down, which will give you more breathing space in your head too. Best of all, it doesn’t take long, and you can do it anywhere you go.
Try this breathing exercise:
place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen
breath slowly through your nose with your mouth shut
as you inhale push your belly out against your hand –– feel your tummy and your hand rise
hold for two seconds
exhale slowly through your nose –– feel your stomach deflate and your hand fall
smile as you exhale (because smiling makes you feel happier); picture someone you love or a happy place that makes you feel good –– imagine anything that will inspire a smile.
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