How to Free Yourself from the Emotional Avalanche!

Posted by Jenkins on January 11, 2019January 11, 2019

There was a time, not too long ago, when hearing unpleasant news felt like being buried beneath an emotional avalanche.

Watching the evening news or seeing a social media post on destruction, death, or abuse filled me with so much emotion that my body took on a heaviness I couldn’t escape. Within minutes I felt myself crumble under the weight.

Suppressing the emotion didn’t work because even before I had a chance to process the news my body would start to betray me.

The gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, the quickened heartbeat, and the lump in my throat that held its ground — no matter how hard or often I tried to swallow it — all seemed beyond my control. Tears would soon follow, and there was nothing I could do to stop them from spilling down my cheeks.

I wanted to be emotionally stable and in control, but my body had other ideas taking any hope of dignity along with it.

The problem with this reaction was that there was no way to hide it. For years I chose to run, to remove myself as soon as I felt my body react because I felt weak and over-sensitive.

There were times when I surrendered to sadness.

The sorrow was too much to bear, and I let it wash over me. It seemed easier to allow it to take over. It was much stronger than I thought I was, so I let it take the reins, and it reduced me to rubble.

I dissected the news, absorbing every little detail, and each thought only added to the weight that laid heavy on my heart. This only resulted in endless emotional pain and suffering.

But that was then.

Now I know my emotions were created by what I was thinking.

The concept of thoughts creating emotions was something I’d heard about years ago but hadn’t fully explored until I started to research my crippling anxiety.

If I was to change the emotion I felt, I first needed to explore my thoughts.

Examining my thoughts helped me take back control. I no longer allow my emotions to take me to places I don’t belong or at least if they do, I don’t stay as long as I used to. As soon as I feel a powerful emotion I know its because of what I am thinking, and I take a moment to question the thought.

I no longer beat myself up because I know I’m emotionally and mentally stronger now.

I’m resilient enough not to follow my emotional self down the rabbit hole of despair.

Bad things will inevitably happen because that’s what living life is all about.

Living a full life means we need to take the highs with the lows, the good with the bad, the peaks with the valleys, and we carry on.

We can always carry on.

There will be days when you will need to face emotional pain head-on.

That pain can rip you apart and ruin any sense of happiness.

You can’t hide from it, push it aside, or cover it up because it will eventually find you. It will betray you when you’re feeling too weak to resist.

Strength comes from knowing that when you are faced with adversity, it will hurt.

It may sweep your legs from under you and render you powerless. It will be painful, but you have a choice on how and when to move forward.

Don’t push the pain away and pretend that everything is fine because at that moment you’re not fine.
But you will be.

Sit in the pain for a moment, close your eyes gently, and breathe.

Breathe deeply.

Those short, shallow breaths that barely reach your lungs won’t serve you here. Your entire body is starving and desperate to feel your breath so breathe deeply.

Continue to inhale and exhale into your belly until you feel your body begin to relax.

Soon your body will reset, and you’ll be ready to face the situation from a place of calm.

Your thoughts created your emotion so take a moment to write down what has happened.

What created your visceral reaction?

What was the circumstance and who was involved?

Let your thoughts pour onto the paper and let them see the light of day. Writing down your thoughts can help stop the endless stream of negative thinking.

It can sometimes be impossible for many of us who are over-thinkers to see our way through a situation from within our minds.

We need to set those thoughts free by writing them down. Look at them with clarity and ask yourself if they’re true.

Are the thoughts based on truth or are they padded with opinion, assumption or second-hand information?

Are you making the situation all about you and allowing your ego to cloud your judgement?

It’s important to know what you’re thinking because those thoughts are dictating your emotions. Asking yourself a few simple questions can help you see that most of what you are thinking is not true at all.

These questions can help change the way you think about anything and just by asking them you’re already soothing your troubled mind. As your thoughts change, you’ll notice a difference in the way you feel.

Even a slight shift in your thinking will alter the way you feel, and that has to be a good thing. Right?

Being human means that emotional pain is inevitable.

We cannot prevent this pain, but we do have some control over whether we needlessly continue to suffer.

I’ve been “over-sensitive” my entire life, but it’s a label I can live with because I no longer allow it to control me. I can scroll past posts that I know will affect me. I can choose not to watch or read anything that I know will create emotional pain.

Self-preservation is necessary for my own emotional health and wellbeing.

Self-awareness means I know when to step in and save myself.

And that’s where the power lies.

Thanks for reading!