Empty The Pot Before You Boil Over

03:05

Empty The Pot Before You Boil Over

by Charles Freligh, PhD

Rated

4.9

Type

talks

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Everyone

Plays

226

Stress often builds up little by little, until the smallest challenge can push us over the edge. In this video, explore a simple mindfulness practice of "emptying the pot" throughout the day. Visuals like this can be helpful for remembering to put into practice what you intellectually know.

Letting Go Meditation Mindful Driving Stress Mindfulness Emotional Regulation Anxiety Grounding Breathing Stress Management Anxiety Management Grounding Technique

Meet your Teacher

Charles Freligh, PhD

Northfield, MN 55057, USA

Meet your Teacher

Charles Freligh, PhD

Northfield, MN 55057, USA

Transcript

Imagine yourself as a pot of water on the stove. And anytime something happens throughout the day that's stressful or agitating. It's like a little bit of water is getting added to the pot. And get cut off in traffic. Someone says something rude, Get a bad text, You see something on social media that bothers you. Little bits of water being added to the pot and it's accumulating. And then maybe something big happens, Or something that connects to your past in a big way happens. And you already don't have that much capacity in your pot and it's very easy for the water to boil over and spill out onto the stove and that's like you becoming overwhelmed or becoming reactive or. Doing something that you maybe ultimately regret. Because you just can't handle it in the moment. You don't have the capacity or the space for it. And so the practice can be to just notice whenever those little bits of water get added throughout the day. However you can to just empty them out as soon as possible. So if someone cuts you off in traffic. Notice it, Notice the agitation, Certainly feel it. But then you might just be able to release that completely and then it isn't building and accumulating inside your pot of water. Empty it out. Something else happens. Notice it. Feel it. Empty it out. You know, Things as small as maybe you spill something or something breaks or something like that. Notice it. Feel it. And empty it out. Maybe along with just a couple deep inhales. And exhales. You could notice right now if there's anything that you're holding on to or resisting that maybe you could just totally completely let go of. It's maybe not everything, But there might be a little bit of water that you could empty out. And then the more you empty out throughout the day, You just have more and more space in your pot for whenever something bigger does happen. And when you have space, Then it won't boil over and spill out onto the stove. You'll feel it. And deal with it, Face it, In the best, Most grounded way. That you can. That's been the case for me with my own experience of anxiety. Because I have a deep history of anxiety and social anxiety in particular. But I have developed what I would call the release valve. Like I'm just emptying, Emptying, Emptying constantly throughout the day. This anxious energy is building, Building, Building always under the surface and maybe will be for the rest of my life. But I'm developing increasingly a stronger release valve. Just emptying out the water, Emptying out the water, Emptying out the water. And that I just have more and more space to deal with, Face, Whatever it is that comes my way. Emptying out the water again and again throughout the day.