Emotion is a current of energy that flows through the body. If you were to fill a bucket with water and keep the tap on, the water would spill out over the edge. Add on a tight lid and the water would be suppressed causing the bucket to build pressure and eventually burst.
Life can be fast paced with people wanting results and action quickly. Compared to our ancestors we are faced with a huge turnover of information on a daily basis, but when something throws us into disarray we can’t just throw a tantrum or run away. Instead we swallow our words, push our feelings down and it’s business as usual.
During stress the body will frantically try to keep you safe, even when it’s not a matter of life or death. However our body is still the same and responds in the way it did millions of years ago and just like the bucket of water, emotion must go somewhere.
How do I shift from a breakdown to a breakthrough?
We all have feelings and emotions accompanied by old emotional echoes that pop up inconveniently. We can expertly push them down in order to be seen and respected as being in control of ourselves. As emotion is suppressed, pressure builds and the body pumps out a concoction of stress hormones. But for some people this constant pump rarely rebalances which is incredibly threatening to the immune system and causes people to feel unwell emotionally and physically. When you are lost for a solution or feel trapped, the breakdown breaks out.
Here are 8 action steps to help you deal with with stress and overwhelm:
- Find someone to help you talk about your feelings.
- Make time for expressing yourself and releasing grudges that have built up.
- Decide how you can fully take control of a situation so you are more empowered.
- Avoid power struggles and the need to be right in certain situations.
- Make the most of the people around you and ask for feedback so you can learn and grow.
- Remind yourself of all the great things you have achieved in life so far.
- Imagine experiences where you felt good, bring that same feeling into your present.
- Tap into the positive resources you already have within.
When you are in a more resourceful state you can rationalise and handle a situation objectively and take the appropriate action which will have a positive impact all round.
