Emotions-our internal barometer

Atmospheric pressure is measured by a barometer. A falling barometer indicates that a storm may be on its way and a rising barometer promises good weather.

 

Emotions – our internal barometer

Emotions can be seen as an internal barometer reflecting the state of our interior atmospheric pressure. By tuning in to our emotions we learn to acknowledge and monitor the internal barometer recognizing the important communications role our feelings play.

By tuning in and acknowledging our feelings as they occur and taking time to process/read them, we learn how to balance our internal atmospheric pressure and manage our stress. Befriending our emotions we discover appropriate ways to release them while effectively responding to situations that may otherwise increase our stress levels and affect our blood pressure readings, which could if uncontrolled adversely impact our health.

We have emotional responses to all sensory stimuli – we may just not be aware of them. How much of your emotional life are you actually aware of? Do you feel free emotionally? What would emotional freedom feel like anyway?

Exposure to music, films, poetry, conversations, nature, thoughts, images, dreams, ideas all provoke emotions. By tuning in and acknowledging your feeling life, you can become aware of the richness of your inner landscape…what’s it look like in there? What would it look like if you were in flow with your emotions?

 

Interior Landscape

What if we took time to explore our interior landscape and allowed the feelings we encounter to act as our guides….what would happen if you were to follow them…go right into them…see where they take you, what they want to tell you. What if we could befriend them. Once you know them as you might a friend, we could assume, we’d have nothing to fear.

In the process, we may discover emotions denied – unexpressed locked deep down in some cave within our inner self (dark spots, clutter). In the physical body we may experience these as knots, pain, tension (blocked energy) stored in our cells and locked within the muscle tissue or fascia adding to our stress. What could happen if we could learn to listen to these knots, coax them out ever so gently, acknowledge and recognize them? What would that be like? How would that leave us feeling?

Like a pianist practices the musical scale, we can explore our own emotional range discovering the sound/colour/feel/smell and taste of our emotions and our emotional range from a sense of personal empowerment to powerlessness.

 

Emotional Guidance System

Esther and Jerry Hicks in their book, The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent provide the following 21 point emotional scale (the most detailed I’ve come across).

1. Joy, knowledge, empowerment, freedom, love, appreciation

2. Passion

3. Enthusiasm, eagerness, happiness

4. Positive, expectation, belief

5. Optimism

6. Hopefulness

7. Contentment

8. Boredom

9. Pessimism

10. Frustration, irritation, impatience

11. Overwhelmed

12. Disappointment

13. Doubt

14. Worry

15. Blame

16. Discouragement

17. Anger

18. Revenge

19. Hatred/Rage

20. Jealousy

21. Insecurity, guilt, unworthiness

22. Fear, grief, depression, despair, powerlessness

How can we develop our own emotional guidance scale- what about an octave to correspond to the musical scale. In the process, we may discover we have some favorite notes, some never played or some we are overplaying.

What would life be like if we cultivated emotional literacy, emotional fluency? Can you imagine your emotions as another aspect of your communications vocabulary you were consciously using? How rich could that be?

 

 

Befriending our emotions – a six step process:

 

 

1. Recognize, acknowledge, name it

As soon as you feel a change in your internal barometer recognize and acknowledge it. Name it (See the emotional scale above).

 

 

2. Process it

Analyze what affected the change in your emotional state. What was the trigger? Did you gain or lose energy? Take note. If the catalyst for a negative emotional response was external to you, address it – speak up immediately. You may feel transgressed/intellectually put down, emotionally not respected. Let the other know that you know.

 

 

3. Consider next steps

Embrace the feeling – go into it. Consider your goal (do you wish to gain or lose energy?) What is the appropriate response, if any? Choose your next thought and watch the impact on your emotional scale (is it up or down).

 

 

4. Respond

Prepare and deliver your response with outcomes in mind. Monitor your barometer. Pay attention to what feels right for you and respect and honor yourself. You can invite a challenge when you’re ready, on your terms.

 

 

5. Assess Outcome

Where are you on the emotional guidance scale? Higher or lower?

 

 

6. Plan your next move

The emotional guidance scale can be a useful assessment framework for decision making and with time and practice can become a useful aid to helping you live true to yourself in the moment.

Coaching can help you develop emotional fluency. If you’re feeling estranged, alienated or frustrated, a good coach can help you liberate yourself from the quicksand, quagmire, gully or gulf and help you move forward to a happier place and nicer weather conditions.

Contact me for a free trial session at Julia@kaizenlifecoach.com

Copyright © Julia von Flotow 2007