Morgan Dingle Therapy

With high tension and oscillating emotions swirling around, remember to take time to simply feel. Feel the sadness, grief, fear, and all those emotions bubbling over. Your body and mind will thank you. Emotions are information providing clues to unmet needs. Whether that’s a need to eat, connect, disconnect, sleep, etc. Often, in times of high stress, you might assume, “I have to keep going. I’ll take time when it all this is over.” Pushing aside emotions only delays them from bubbling over later. Acknowledging your experience in the moment allows your body and mind to process the information it has received. Once the information is processed, you’ll be able to take congruent actions rather than panic reactions. Ultimately, providing you with a greater sense of control and grounding.

Emotions are all connected. Here is a photo of a small sample of the family of emotions. I'm sharing this post as a reminder to check in with yourself. Identify the many emotions you may be feeling right now. It might help ground you in the chaos. You can feel multiple emotions at once. Emotions can become layered and layered until it's hard to tell what we are actually feeling. Maybe you act out in anger because deep down you're terrified. Identifying your emotions helps you gain control over your reactions and responses. This is not always easy, especially when you are "overwhelmed." Linking an emotion with sensations in the body can be a helpful clue to naming the emotion. Take care of your mind and body.

Box Breathing is used in yoga and the military to calm the nervous system. With our thoughts racing, fears building, and emotions on overload use this technique to help yourself ground. If focusing on your breath is challenging try drawing a box with each stage. Drawing and breathing is a great way to engage your entire system. Technique: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds. Please remember to listen to your body. If you feel any tightness, dizziness, or intense emotion arise return breathing to your natural pace.

Sometimes, mental health begins by bringing awareness to how we let others control our reactions and responses. It’s easy to be at the whim of others. It takes little effort up front until later you are drained, pi**ed off, and full of resentment. I compare it to working out. For me, working out is a pain. Let me clarify, finding the motivation to work out is a pain. The moving my body part is fun (sometimes) and the afterward part is amazing (most of the time). But the dreaded motivation makes it almost impossible to see the reward waiting on the other side. However, the more regularly I work out the easier it is to remember the reward. Choosing to control your own emotions is really hard. In a moment of shock and hurt, it’s easy to let someone else take over. Similarly, it’s easy to sit on the couch instead of working out. And just like working out, the more you practice catching yourself in an emotional spin the easier it will be to find your inner peace. Tell me what helps you gain control over your emotions?

“Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” - Pema Chödrön