Hey diy Ass-kickers!
Looking after the emotional side of me has made a huge difference in my life. I mean actually looking after myself by responding to how I feel from a place of self-understanding and power. Not simply taking on feelings without any consideration for my emotional health. That last one only leads to blow ups and break downs, all part of the human experience but not a ton of fun.
Our emotional health is not something to ignore.
The benefits of paying attention to what goes on emotionally for us are huge. We manage our circumstances better, we are less stressed and more confident. We have better emotional and physical health, more energy, more personal growth, and hell, we just function better. And aren’t we all looking to be the best version of ourselves we can be?
I know how stressful life can be sometimes. It doesn’t matter if you have a little shit hitting the fan or a ton of it all at once. We all respond differently to our stresses and we can’t judge ourselves for how we feel about something. Our feelings are real and should never be ignored. (TWEET THIS)
So feel and deal.
Here is how I roll to keep my emotional house in order. If I feel something, I accept my feelings as part of me and give myself the time and space to let myself actually experience them. We’ve talked lots on this blog about sitting in the muck with your feelings and let them really soak in. As hard as it is sometimes, there is nothing better than a good old mud bath! I listen and feel the good parts, the bad parts, the sad parts, the happy parts, and even the parts that want to direct me into a shame storm.
Once I am super intimate with my feelings, I deal with them.
Like you maybe, I always need to calm down when I’m upset. If I don’t, I am sure that say things I don’t really want to say out of anger, hurt, or resentment. So I start with whatever makes me feel calm. Sometimes it’s a long walk, sometimes it’s watching some ridiculously funny movie, or hanging with my grand babies. Sometimes it’s some deep breathing or meditation to get me to that calm brain place. From there I can consider more about those feelings like where they come from (inside of me of course), and how I might choose to manage them.
I will also yak them over with a trusted confidant. Someone who I know from past experience will not judge me for my imperfect behaviour or my feelings, or my crazy plan to get all that emotional baggage out of my way so I can get back to getting shit done. P.S. when you find a friend like that, do not let them get away, they are simply gold.
And through it all, I try my best not to judge myself for my part in creating my own shitty feelings. I do that by reinforcing that I am creative, resourceful and whole, and I don’t need to expect perfection from myself.
Feel and deal.
I’m guessing you’ve got lots of ways that you feel and deal with your emotional stuff when shit hits your fan. Share ‘em up right here, please. We all have much to learn!
And if you don’t have a plan, for your own emotional health, make one and remember one thing…
“Feel and deal” makes a great new mantra.
