On Stress & Letting Go
To say we all get stressed from time to time is a vast understatement, especially in the modern, always-on world in which we live. We’re continuously bombarded with content, and that sometimes leads us to put undue pressure on ourselves to perform at a certain level or achieve unrealistic goals.
77% of people regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress. Yes, physical symptoms.
Stress can be a quiet creeper. For some of us, it slowly builds, and we don’t even realize it’s there until we’re nearly at a breaking point.
Then there’s another class of stress -- the stress that comes with anxiety, anxiety about things over which we have little or no control. Anxiety is really nothing more than fear of the future, the projection of which is changing day by day if not minute by minute!
Sometimes the future can be made brighter by simply shifting our focus. And when the future is brighter, your stress level decreases.
In today’s episode, you’ll learn a powerful tool for dealing with negative emotions and letting go of things that bring you down.
Eliminating negative emotions and the stress that comes along with them can have a direct impact on your physical health, your immune system, how you move and feel in your body, and even your weight.
This powerful tool begins with simply asking, “What am I feeling right now?”
Name the emotion. Recognize it. Honor it.
Then ask again, “What am I feeling right now?”
Again, name the emotion. (It will likely be different from the first time.) No need to overthink it. Just honestly answer the question.
Then repeat the process over and over again until you feel...nothing.
Your emotions may span frustration, hurt, anger, confusion, sorrow, hope, and love… Some may bring with them a physical sensation in the body -- flutters or tears. That’s fine. Honor and acknowledge each emotion one by one.
The whole exercise will only take about five minutes. And afterwards, you’ll understand yourself better, and you will realize that you do indeed have control over how you feel.
Thanks for listening!
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Links from today’s episode:
- Episode 2 -- We learned about internal representations
- Episode 3 -- We learned about perception is projection
- Emotions Worksheet
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