We all have days when things are not going well. You’re grouchy. You’re tired. Maybe, like me, you spilled an entire bag of coffee over your kitchen floor, and you can’t really remember the last time it was cleaned it. Whatever the reason, you find yourself spiraling and you know an explosion is imminent. So what do you do? In my humble opinion, you have two options.
One ~
You can dig deep. Fill that empty well with all the self-care you have in your repertoire; meditation, a nature walk, a long bubble bath, a workout, or whatever wonderful thing you can do for yourself that you know will lift you back up.
Two ~
You can utterly surrender to your emotions. Surrender does not mean give up. It means give in. Accept your emotional state. Do you feel tears welling in your eyes? Let them fall. Emotions are not the enemy. The only enemy is our reaction. Letting our emotions be felt is a great gift to our overtaxed nervous systems.
Maybe you’re angry. Go for a drive and scream! Whatever is trapped inside, get it out. Then give yourself a little time to decompress. Watch your favourite feel good movie or break out your hidden stash of good quality chocolate and slowly savour each bite. Own it. Treat yourself like the tired, weary soul that you are and gently bring yourself back to equilibrium.
This is the way we regulate our emotions. This is how we model that very important work to our children so they know what to do when they come across those tough days. Because tough days come to all of us.
Let’s not lash out, stomp around the house, or slam doors. Let’s get to the heart of the matter by asking ourselves, “What do I NEED right now?”
Maybe you want to elevate, maybe you want to indulge. If you pause for long enough, you’ll know what choice to make, and soon enough, things will be okay again.
So much love to you!
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