Theme: I See
Acknowledging the visible and invisible world
Chapter 1: Trust & Emotions
To build a healthy stable life, we want to be able to trust the world around us. We want to rely on our body to be able to do what we ask of it. We want our feet to trust where the ground is below us, just like in the root chapters. We want to trust in the quality of our own hard work based on knowledge and experience. We want the things we see and hear to be true so that our decisions are based on reliable information, so the world around us trusts us back.
All of our beliefs and trust are built upon our own life’s experiences, and whether or not we trust something is largely based on the emotions we’ve embedded in those memories of our experiences.
Emotions are humans’ responses to our natural surroundings that help lead us to safety and protect us from harm. Fear warns us of physical or psychological risk for example, but extreme fear becomes destructive. Our emotions are linked to our survival skills, so we don’t want to turn them off altogether. But how do we acknowledge our fears or excitement and use them when needed without them taking over daily life?
Listen to what causes destructive emotion when it’s happening to you. This isn’t always fear, it could be heightened expectations for an event, or even hunger.
Stop for a minute and just acknowledge that it’s happening.
Separate the things happening around you into what you can & can’t control. Can you leave your current surroundings for a minute to assess?
Was there a trigger image or event that reminds you of a previous time this safety emotion protected you from danger, or rewarded you with something amazing? The reason it’s going off now is because at least once before it has alarmed you and it got positive reinforcement. You survived an assumed threat or got something good out of it. And it’s been doubling down ever since. The emotion embedded itself in the memory.
Decide if this emotion is still protecting you now, or if it feels overblown. Maybe kinda? The tiny spider that made you jump out of your skin isn’t actually going to cause your demise? Or the phone ringing isn’t always a harbinger of doom?
During these moments of heightened feelings, take a mental picture of your surroundings, define what triggered your strong emotional response, and talk it out with yourself after you’ve had a chance to calm down. What was really happening? What scenarios are most likely to play out? What level of emotion is a realistic response? How would you like to respond next time? Imagine yourself having a calmer reaction if it happened again. Repeat. Just like with any positive habit, repetition and time are key. Be kind to yourself. It’s hard to grow.
Emotions are part of how the brain communicates with the nervous system. The body’s deep, central, internal organs are referred to as viscera, and this communication through emotions between the brain and organs is also known as visceral messaging. Visceral (or smooth) muscle tissue lines your blood vessels, stomach, digestive tract and other organs like a protective coating on a bundle of cable wires. And although you can’t directly exercise your visceral muscles, you can provide a safe path for them with good posture, and a base level of hydration, healthy food, and exercise. All of the larger muscles along the visceral messaging system have a reactionary role to emotions being delivered, which is why this communication system is commonly known as “gut feelings”. Our brain can get triggered, and then tells our guts to react (fight or flight or freeze or relax or pass out or salivate or cry…) without us having to consider why. We have to train ourselves to add in that last part: why is this happening? Do we want to react this way? Do we want to create a healthier reaction next time?
The trust exercises this week are cervical rotations, to practice a healthy range of looking over your shoulder.
References from innerbodyresearch.com article by Tim Taylor 2015, and “The Vital Psoas Muscle” by JoAnn Staugaard-Jones
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