A lot of people are feeling a lot of negative emotions right now. So I thought I’d share a little pick-me-up that can immediately ease whatever “ick” you’re feeling. It’s a tool we use in life coaching and big step toward training your brain to help you feel better.
First: Name the emotion you’re feeling in one word and describe how it feels in your body. Example: “I’m feeling anxious, it feels tight in my throat and burns in my chest.”
This takes you out of the feeling temporarily so you can step back and observe it. Through observing and describing, you demonstrate to yourself that it’s not the end of the world to feel this way – it’s just a feeling. Don’t resist it, just acknowledge you’re feeling it and that you’re going to be fine. Sometimes this one step is enough to ease the grip of a particularly negative emotion.
Second: Identify the thought causing the feeling. Example: “I can’t do anything I want to do during this quarantine.”
Many thoughts may be causing you to feel anxiety. Figure out which one is predominant by writing them down and picking the thought that’s giving you the strongest physical reaction when you read it. Ask yourself if the thought is 100% true. In what ways is it not true? This helps you be open to feeling grateful for the things you CAN do. Focus on those things!
Third: Create a new and true thought. Example: “There are plenty of fun things I can do during this quarantine”
Make sure it’s something you can believe, if it’s not true it won’t work. If I tried to think “I can do anything I want during this quarantine”, it would likely lead to frustration. But if I think there are plenty of things, I can make a list and see that it’s true. The best part about that is that your brain will then start searching for examples that prove your new thought is true. And it will find what it looks for!
It’s super powerful to realize that your thoughts are the reason you feel bad and that you have the power to change them! If you’d like help doing this for yourself or would like to have a free private coaching session with me, click below to schedule a 30 minute free mini coaching session. https://dianelynncoaching.as.me/
