I Second That Emotion

I Second That Emotion

You know all that woowoo stuff about how thought becomes things? Well, here’s a strange and interesting thing. Theoretical physicists are finding out that consciousness is a state of matter. Quantifiable. Like gases, or liquids, or solids. What do you think about them apples.

We’ve been talking here for ages about how emotions are the physical manifestations of thought. That each thought has a corresponding emotion attached, and that you string enough together and you get feelings. Well, it looks like thought may already be a thing.

We know we have a conscious mind, and an unconscious mind. We know that when we are feeling crazy, or overwhelmed, it’s often because we have so much unconscious stuff swirling around, or maybe just one big thing, that’s trying to be known.

Our unconscious thoughts, like our conscious thoughts, also make emotions. Emotions make feelings, and I gotta say, feelings are not my strong suit. I’ve had to work on them, identifying them, experiencing them.

Here’s the way it all plays out.

I have a thought, let’s say a “no” thought, like, “I don’t like this.” That thought produces an emotion; anger or fear or disgust. I don’t notice it, and the thought loops, and the emotion gets bigger turning into a feeling, that is, an emotion and thought loop big enough that I can notice. I ignore it, and it will get bigger. If I keep pushing it down, that feeling, it will manifest in my physical body. Lots of folks have mapped symptoms as feelings already. Each of us has our own body, our own feelings and our own maps, on the other hand, we share a lot.

Why do I trust my body? How can I know what my body is telling me? What makes me understand my own body’s language?

We have sayings that lets us know we have stuff in common. We talk about carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, and when we feel over-burdened, it’s often our shoulders that ache. Our neck aches, until we identify the “pain in the neck” we are having feelings about. Or the” pain in the ass”, which may show up as hemorrhoids. Seriously. Anger can hole up in the liver, bitterness and resentments in the gallbladder, being pissed off in the bladder, fear in the kidneys, and so on.

Learning to identify these is really useful. I know it’s a stretch for a lot of us, this whole concept. It took me a while to get it, but if I can warm up my hands just by thinking “warm hands,” well....And, just for the record, I learned that skill at the Mayo Clinic in 1976.

Issues around feeling supported can show up in the back: “Do you have my back?” Sensing a betrayal of sorts can “get our back up.” Knees often have to do with ego and self-worth, menial tasks being beneath us, for example, and hips can be letting us know we need some self-celebration. When we have a physical topic, identifying the feelings and emotions that our body is trying to communicate can be very healing. Emotions are like a road map, telling us where we are, what’s going on, and when we ignore them, they will amplify their message.

How have I changed from discounting my emotions and feelings to taking their messages to heart?

(c) 2014 Pam Guthrie all rights reserved 02122014

Controversial Topic Ahead -- Open Mind Requested

Controversial Topic Ahead -- Open Mind Requested

Alive. Feeling the blood coursing through your veins. Feeling that lift of curiosity and interest. Feeling that tinge of excitement, that thrill of adventure.

Alive. Feeling your senses sharpen. Finding beauty in unlikely places. Appreciating your environment, your people, your activities.

How do I feel when I feel alive? What makes my spirit soar? Why am I engaged?

Like so many aspects of our growing up, feeling alive isn’t something that we just occasionally happen on, but is something we can cultivate.

So how do I practice feeling alive? Well, the fact of the matter is I don’t. Feeling alive is effortless, automatic, when I am relaxed, peaceful, present and aware.

Sometimes, we have situations in our lives that feel overwhelming. We may feel like the situation dooms us, that there is no solution, or it is just too much to contend with, and so we ask ourselves bad creative questions like, “how can I avoid dealing with this?” or “how can I escape my problem?” And we come up with answers like, “I can be sick,” or “I can die.” The tricky part is that it’s often all unconscious; we are completely unaware that we are having those thoughts.

And then we get stuff. I remember backs going out on moving day. I remember horrible colds or stomach flu showing up on test days. I even remember falling asleep at my desk just moments before I was supposed to take an exam I didn’t feel prepared for. Seriously. Talk about avoidance.

Why do I choose to address my topics? How have I changed from having problems to coping with my situations?

I understand that this is a delicate topic for many of us. As I was coming to terms with it, I had a lot of feelings. I felt angry and ashamed at the thought that I might be the one making me sick. Never mind that it isn’t “me” but rather unconscious thoughts and beliefs that don’t support me, it felt like blaming the victim.

As I learned to speak “body” language, it got easier for me to accept. Backs are all about feeling supported. Shoulders are about carrying burdens. Necks are about emotional flexibility. Back when I was diagnosed with that acute chronic nervous tension, it looks like I was feeling over-burdened, like I was carrying the weight of the world. Uh, check. I was feeling emotionally rigid, my way or the highway. Um, check that one, too. And I felt like I had no support. Okay, double check.

Lately, I’ve been having stomach stuff. My body is telling me that I “can’t stomach” what’s going on, that I’m holding onto old crap, uh, so to speak, and maybe letting go of old crap, again, so to speak. These symptoms tell me that I need to slow down inside, and let stuff process a bit more. I know I can cope, but maybe I need to make some changes, shift things around a bit. Have I taken on more responsibility than my system likes right now? Do I need to be taking care of me differently? What are the things I “can’t stomach?”

By slowing down enough to consider these questions, I will be able to calm my GI system. By addressing the topics I discover, my body will not need to send me these very specific messages, and I can go back to being symptom free. And to feeling alive.

How have I changed from feeling sick to feeling alive?

(c) 2014 Pam Guthrie all rights reserved 02052014