Emotions, like waves, can often feel overwhelming. It is easy to get swept away on unknown shores or feel like you are tumbling under powerful currents into infinity.
When the brain is processing multiple stimuli at once for an extended period of time the 'fight or fight' mechanism kicks in to protect us, making the whole even greater than the sum of its parts. When this happens we have to stop, reflect, and take emotions one at a time. Without understanding the layers of our being and state, we end up feeling emotionally paralyzed.
Before confronting all of your emotions at once, it is important to give space to each wave. While they all contribute to the larger, tumultuous sea, each also exists independently. Visualization techniques help a lot here. Imagine your feelings as an ocean with many waves, and try to focus on each one, silently observing what they want to say and where they want to go. You can even write them all down, it will help to keep track.
Ask yourself a question about different emotions:
- Why am I anxious?
- What specific frustration am I experiencing?
- What is contributing to my sadness?
- Where am I stuck?
- Who is the source of my anger?
Each question you see here is designed to pierce through the water tension of your ocean and isolate each current. However, there are also beautiful waves, not just the ones that destroy our boats and make it harder to swim. Even the chaos we admire would benefit from clarity.
Practical Steps to Clarity
- Pause and Reflect: When you feel overwhelmed, the first step is to pause and breathe.
- Name Each Emotion: Research shows that naming your emotions reduces their intensity. Simply saying, “I feel frustrated,” or “I feel anxious,” creates a sense of distance and allows you to approach the situation rationally.
- Analyze Triggers: Once you’ve named your emotions, ask yourself what triggered them. Identifying the source of your emotions is critical to resolving them.
- Respond, Don’t React: When you’ve processed each emotion individually, you’ll find it easier to respond with intention rather than react impulsively. Each emotion has its own narrative, and by understanding them, you can take action that leads to resolution or progress.
The Clarity Beyond the Chaos
Seeing the ocean as a collection of waves allows us to see nothing that is passing through is permanent. The calm of the sea or the incoming storm are both temporary. Like the ocean's waves, emotions come and go. By facing one wave at a time, we find clarity to navigate life with a smile on our faces.And who knows, maybe if you do that enough times, you will even learn how to ride the waves no matter how chaotic and big they seem. If you want to learn more about this topic, and the Yin and Yang of actual surfing, follow this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_TNW1fPmp8/