“Emotion is just energy in motion.” – Lauren Chelec Cafritz
Sorry I’m talking so much.
I’m not sure why this is coming up, but...
I call this the emotional excavation period. Sometimes, we actually need to get our thoughts, our feelings and our stories out. They leak from our eyes in the form of tears, we say more than we thought we wanted to, or our pens won’t stop moving. This is particularly true when we’re caregivers, coaches, therapists, parents, teachers, listeners of any sort. When you’re holding a lot inside, it has to go somewhere. The intense raw data of our emotions and thoughts have to be digested into nourishment.
Herein lies the issue. We rarely give ourselves the chance to even get there. It’s often what is underneath these initial thoughts, feelings, and stories that holds the juice of our lives. This is where direction, clarity, purpose, growth and creativity often sit.
I was on the phone with a new client, explaining some of these concepts.
“Oh, yes! My kids and I call it ‘Getting the Crazies Out.’ I usually run,” she said.
Exercise releases endorphins, “happy drugs”, literally soaking your brain in natural painkillers. However, most of us stop there. We *might* stretch, but then we move along to crush the to do list and slay the day. Because we’re suddenly feeling better, we then stop short of a critical step.
In yoga, there’s often a stage at the end called Savasana. I call it ‘nap time,’ but that’s depleting its value. It’s a time to let your body rest after all the sweat. The change in your body needs to settle so wisdom and insight can arise.
Next time you’re on a run, plan to pause at the end. Go find a tree and set a timer for 10 minutes. Sit.
Notice what comes up AFTER the workout. Let the dust you just kicked up and moved around inside you settle before you move on to the next thing. Even after an initial release or reprieve, we’re often still running from other emotions- be it grief, anger, or deep joy.
To be a part of this human experience, to live the lives we’ve been given, we are going to experience all the colors and all the shades. Our obsession with efficiency, productivity, and never being ruffled means that we live in a very short and mild spectrum. Our humanity is tied up with our ability to feel, to let emotion move through us.
We are here to learn how to let our stories and emotions open doors, so we can settle into ourselves and experience deep joy, connection, and our aliveness You might be surprised by the wisdom and clarity that live below the surface.
To all your colors and all the shades that live below the surface,
JESS
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