I call it: “Surfing the waves of uncertainty with grace and perseverance”
To truly get emotional liberation, we must understand what happens when our inner calm is suddenly disrupted. Let’s say you’re going along just fine and suddenly, out of nowhere, somebody says or does something – or an errant thought grabs you – and you are triggered! Strong emotions such as anxiety or anger begin shooting through you.
Will they take you over, sucking you into an inward gloomy silence or push outward with distressing physical sensations and causing you regrettable outbursts? Often, we feel completely lost because we aren’t used to identifying what triggers us before the storm hits.
What you do next is vital – for your own wellbeing and those around you! You might continue to let the emotion consume you. OR you learn to stay present with what’s coming up so you can process and release the feelings and get back to calmness. This gentle presence is vital when managing overwhelming chronic anxiety that feels otherwise impossible to escape.
Rescuing Ourselves – Nobody Else Can
The art comes in not trying to suppress the emotional energy – but learning the skill to let that distressing energy move through you so it can be released and you can get back to a better place.
In emotions inquiry, self-awareness is the key factor. The skill is training yourself to pay attention to the emotions that surface, the thoughts that go with them, and the physical sensations. Of course, all of this can be unpleasant in the early stages because we don’t want to be present with those emotions. But the pay-off is no longer being a slave to them. Looking at the healthy ways to manage stress can offer a new perspective.
How to Cultivate Self-Awareness and Get Emotional Liberation
The key to cultivating self-awareness is becoming sensitive to observing your emotions. The way to do this is through meditation. Before you roll your eyes dismissing it with, “I don’t like to meditate!” know there’s another approach besides sitting in silence. It’s what I teach.
The meditation I’m talking about isn’t about getting rid of thoughts. It’s about becoming aware of what is going on while the thoughts are pounding, so you can stay with the emotion instead of being pulled around by it.
Try out the “Unmeditation” Meditation
I call it the “unmeditation” meditation – it respects the fact that traditional mindfulness meditation can be challenging for people who wrestle with incessant pounding thoughts. I invite you to give it a try by going to beccawilliams.org/awareness/
If you do, let me know how it goes!
With Love,
Becca
P.S. If you’d like a full week of training your mind to master your emotions join me in Portugal this fall!
