Hi,
Welcome.
I'm Susan Guttridge.
In this practice,
We're going to spend a few minutes learning to be present with emotion.
I feel this is an important skill to learn,
And it's one that for many people isn't easy.
If we've spent time in survival mode or navigating difficult or demanding experiences,
Our system often learns to move away from emotion.
Our emotional awareness can become muted because perhaps that was what was needed in order for us to keep going at the time.
So,
While that may have been necessary for our survival,
Over time it can cause emotional signals to be quieter or harder to notice in their earlier stages,
So that we might only become aware of them once they've built up and feel intense or overwhelming.
Because of that,
I created this practice to assist you in gently rebuilding the ability to notice emotions earlier.
Think of it as an opportunity to begin reconnecting with emotion in smaller,
Safer moments.
Thank you for being here and for giving this a go with me.
All right,
Let's begin.
Take a comfortable breath in,
And a slightly longer breath out.
Just allowing your body to settle comfortably in the space you're in.
You might even let your fingers and hands touch the surface you're sitting or lying on,
Noticing the texture of it,
The temperature.
And as you do that,
We're just anchoring into this one moment,
Connecting more fully to the space you're in,
And with your breath,
At a pace that just feels right for you.
And now,
Drawing your awareness from the space around you inward to your body.
Begin by noticing the connection of your body to where you are sitting or lying down.
Where do you feel the most bits of comfort?
And now,
If it's okay,
Starting with your awareness at the top of your head and scanning all the way downward through your whole body,
All the way down to your toes.
Just observing any sensations that are present in your body.
What do you notice?
For example,
Do you notice a sense of ease anywhere?
Or maybe you notice tension,
Heaviness,
Tightness,
Or perhaps warmth.
Whatever you notice is perfectly okay.
Now,
I wonder if you might ask yourself this question,
What emotion is here with me right now?
Sometimes the answer is clear,
And other times we might not be so sure.
If that's the case,
Here is a very abbreviated menu of options.
Does anything fit for you?
Calm,
Contented,
Grateful,
Relieved,
Worried,
Sad,
Irritated,
Frustrated.
Even I'm not sure is a valid answer.
Once you have your word or even a rough sense of a feeling,
See if you could notice where it lives in your body,
The felt sense of that emotion.
So for example,
Is it in your chest,
Your stomach,
Your throat,
Shoulders,
Jaw,
Or somewhere else?
Could you just observe it with curiosity?
If that emotion could speak,
What might it want you to know?
Not as a full story,
But as a sense or impression.
The concept of emotions carrying message might be a new one for you.
So let me give you some options.
Anger might be trying to tell you that something feels unfair,
Or your boundaries have been crossed.
Sadness might be saying that more supports are needed.
Fear might be longing for safety.
This process is just about learning to listen with an open heart and a curious mind.
And now,
Offering yourself a moment of acknowledgement,
So silently saying to yourself,
Of course this emotion makes sense,
Or it's okay that this emotion is here.
Try to just let it be there,
To be present with it without pushing it away,
And also without holding onto it too tightly.
This is the practice,
Learning to notice the emotion,
Where it lives in your body,
And perhaps a sense of what it might be about without moving into analysis or trying to make a full story out of it.
Just letting it be there,
Run its course.
And taking another breath in,
And slightly longer exhale out.
Bring your awareness once again to the space around you,
The room you're in,
The feeling of your body supported where you are sitting.
As our time together begins to come to a close,
Please remember that the goal of this practice is not to analyze your emotions,
Not to even get them perfectly right every time.
It's about noticing,
Becoming more familiar with emotions,
How your body feels them,
And what those emotions may be trying to tell you.
Each time you pause and notice,
You strengthen the connection between your mind and your body,
And over time,
Emotions become easier to recognize,
And easier to work with in ways that support your well-being without leaving you flooded and overwhelmed.
Whenever you're ready,
You can slowly return your attention to the rest of your day.
And coming back to that menu of emotions I shared with you earlier,
If you'd like to explore a fuller menu and cultivate a new emotional vocabulary,
Insight Timer does have a feelings wheel within their therapist portal.
If your account settings don't include access to it,
Just let me know and I'll share it with you.
Thank you so much for being here.
Be well today.
