Some days, maybe most days lately, I am having a hard time staying positive. It is truly a form of an emotional rollercoster I can easily go from feeling happy and content to unmotivated and blah. We all have those days where we are just going through the motions. On the days you feel lethargic and frustrated, it can be tough to get a clear head, our lives look very different right now than a few months ago. This situation makes it totally understandable why we might feel this way. It is important to pause and ask yourself what is going on with me, why do I feel this way? According to therapist Dr. Kingman , a case of the blahs is actually a powerful emotional response, he calls it a “system shutdown”, an automatic defense mechanism that protects us from uncomfortable feelings. Those feelings might be sadness or loneliness or hopelessness. He suggests asking yourself “what is happening in my life, in my heart that are stirring these emotions today?
In our yoga practice or meditation practice we make time for this observation and reflection, the key is take a moment to sit and have awareness or self-reflect with compassion. It is a necessary foundational part of yoga that really helps you make discoveries. There might not be clear answers that resolve issues in that moment, but it does allow you to notice thoughts that are negative or obstacles that are in your way. You notice patterns or strings of thought that repeat. In a Buddist tradition, making the right action is a needed process. Maybe, the action is to literally move your body or change something in your environment, perhaps kick start a project that feels productive, or tackling something that you continue to put on the back burner. These actions will change your energy. If the blah feelings are caused by the lack of social stimulus, where we find ourselves in a time with nothing new and exciting, remind yourself this is temporary, everything changes. This situation will change. We have to remind ourselves of our blessings regularly. Your sadness, loneliness, anxiety or insecurities are symptoms that reveal something that needs your attention. If you need to reach out to a friend or seek support in some way, do it. Take the right action. We need to care for ourselves, we need support and a sense of purpose for our emotional health. We are all worth it.
Rachel xo
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