September has been an incredibly emotional month for us, primarily because my daughter's long-awaited excitement about starting school quickly transformed into a cascade of emotions for both her and me as a parent.
As we've embarked on this new phase together, striving to support her through this period of change, I've found myself reflecting on how I respond to emotions and how someone else's emotions can often trigger us. It's a common experience—we've all been there. The key, however, lies in how we choose to respond.
Here are some simple steps that have greatly helped me in handling these emotional situations:
1. Become Aware: The first step is to become aware of your own emotions. When you notice an emotion welling up, pause and sit with it. Do this without judgment, both for yourself and the person whose emotion triggered yours. Take a moment to recognize the sensations and potential reactions within you. Are you inclined to run away from the emotion, engage in a fight, or freeze in the face of it? Are you reaching for something to numb or distract yourself from the discomfort that this emotion generates? Pay close attention to what's happening inside you because within those observations lie the clues to your response mechanisms that you've built over time.
2. Decide How to Respond: Once you've become aware of your emotional response, assess whether your current response mechanism is helping you navigate your emotions effectively. If your response involves sitting with the emotion, processing it, and understanding it, that's fantastic! However, if your response involves avoidance or escapism, it might be worth considering a change.
3. Understand: Emotions exist to convey messages to us, like messengers bearing important news. When we take the time to understand what lies beneath these emotions, we can respond to them in healthier and more constructive ways.
Remember, emotions are not adversaries; they're our allies. They're trying to tell us something, to guide us toward a more authentic and balanced existence. By learning to embrace our emotions and respond to them with empathy and understanding, we embark on a journey of self-discovery and growth.
So, as we navigate the sea of emotions triggered by ourselves and others, let's strive to approach each wave with awareness, conscious response, and a deep understanding of the messages they carry