Our bodies are not just where we feel anxiety, anguish and distress; our bodies are also where we access important resources that help us cope with distress.
When facing emotional distress, we often push through, distract ourselves, vent to others or try to make the distress “go away.” However, these strategies rarely work long term and we may miss important information that our emotions are communicating.
Here is a way of working with the body to support yourself during emotional difficulty:
1. Sense where the distress/emotion/stuckness lives in your body. Imagine letting all the energy of that feeling/distress flow into that location. If that feels too overwhelming, try letting just a little bit of the energy in or try visualizing a container that is the right size/material to contain the distress.
2. Breathe alongside the distress and let it know you see/sense it.
3. Remember a time when you felt most like yourself (e.g., calm, peaceful, grounded, compassionate, connected, clear, courageous, creative).
We call this felt-sense the Core Self. Stay with that memory and sense where you feel its goodness in your body.
4. Imagine that goodness/energy flowing from the location of your Core Self toward the part of you that holds distress. You could do this by imagining colour, breath, vibrations or patterns of movement, or tracing the path between these parts in your mind. Sometimes the Core Self has words or a question for the distress (e.g., what is it afraid of?).
5. Notice what happens. Can the distress feel the goodness of your Core Self?
Can these two feeling states exist side-by-side? Some people like to explore these states by drawing/writing in a journal; others use words or visualization. What helps you listen to and understand what you need during emotionally difficult times?
May 6 to 12 is Mental Health Week in Canada.
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