Welcome and thank you!
I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has filled my books both at the Alberton farm (Mondays and Tuesdays) and in my Superior office (Wednesday through Friday). Being of service in this way has been humbling and heartwarming.
Since opening my office in Superior, I’ve seen a lot of new faces. It’s been amazing and validating — and a little bit overwhelming — to realize just how very needed healing and therapeutic services are in our community.
Learn to listen — and name
As the news article linked above says, my goal is to listen to my clients’ bodies — and help you listen, too. One of the most powerful ways to connect with your body is not only to pay attention to the messages it’s sending you, but to put it into words.
Studies show that recognizing and naming our feelings moves them out of our “lizard” fight-or-flight brain into the logical, word-oriented part of our brain. So rather than being fused with our feelings, we can create some useful distance from them, choosing how to act from a calmer, more centered and self-compassionate place.
Below find five practices for defusing stressful feelings.
- Learn the language. When naming emotions, try to go deeper than sad, mad, and happy. For many of us, a feelings wheel can be a helpful tool to drill down and find the word — like powerless, insecure, or eager — that really resonates. After awhile, you may start to notice patterns that you can expect and prepare for.
- Be kind to yourself. Practice compassion and nonjudgment when observing your feelings. Assume your feelings make sense and are offering you important information.
- Write it down. Journaling about emotions and experiences is proven to help diffuse emotional charge from challenging situations.
- Pause and reflect. Now that you’ve named your feelings, objectively consider options for action. What choice is most in line with your values, goals, and commitments? It may help if you take the time to articulate your highest values and most important character traits.
- Get physical. Sometimes, we just need to feel our feelings all the way through, without trying to avoid or change them. Is your body asking you to cry, shake, dance, rest, drink water, or get a massage? Develop a trusting relationship with your body by meeting its needs.