Occupation? Emotional Athlete

I recently read about emotional agility. I found it fascinating that humans have so many trades. We all have many attributes and virtues but emotional agility can be learned. This could be understood as appropriately managing our feelings. So the question here is, what is appropriate? To this, I say, to each their own.

Every generation will have a set of appropriate emotions, the ones that are perceived as ok or accepted. Back in the 60's one could say, men and women had appropriate emotions toward their destiny. Acceptance I guess towards what our society and families expected. Groups of people would question these preconceived notions and would get out of the norm. The thinkers, the wonderers, the brave with the unfulfilled minds. Thanks to all of those inquisitive brains we have seen change and evolution. I have to applaud the courage to question and look for answers.

Nowadays we live in a very different world. It is full of information, available at a voice command or a click of a button. We receive an incredible influx of daily information that can make us or break us in the blink of an eye. We can go from happy to sad, from excited to disappointed, all within a second. Overstimulated to a max. Not only from the life we are choosing to live but from the ones we are not able to. It is so easy to fall into a rabbit hole of things, and constantly run after the carrot, occasionally sitting down for tea. It is a mad world. What I want to remember is this. I have choices. I can choose to live on the run, or I can choose to become an emotional athlete. Managing my emotions, so every race becomes a little bit easier to run.

How do we train our brain to keep going when our muscles are tired, and our energy is low? We become observers. We need to assess what our body is telling us. Our feelings and emotions change so much, so what we can do is observe. What is going on....pause....take a deep breath and surrender. How am I feeling? why is my body reacting like this? how am I doing? After we observe we accept. This is where the light comes in. If we can't observe so easily we could simply ask someone to help us see. We all have that one person that can be brutally honest. If that lifeline is not available, there is nothing but a deep dive within. Eventually, we will see the light but when is dark, therapy and professional help are always a must. What I have experienced is that everything passes. But when it rains, it pours! All of a sudden life takes a 180 on us and our feet get swept off the ground. I guess even the strongest Olympians go through falls. And what do we do? We slowly get up. We lay there with our emotions for a bit, and slowly get up. We can stay defeated, or we can think of other times when we have won. I can ask myself, how did I do it last time, what did I do right? How did I find peace and what got me through it? What truly makes me happy, and how can I create my peace again? This is why, I write. Because sometimes getting the thoughts out of my brain ignites the process of understanding better. I encourage you to be your own, trainer. To think like an observer, like a coach who can direct and keep score. Take time to fully understand what you are going through and give yourself love, and grace. After all, this is a long run, not a sprint. Nurture your soul with kindness and hope. Embrace silence and pauses in your life to reflect. Go for a walk alone, let your body talk to you, your heart speak, and your brain process.

You are a creator. You are a superb emotional athlete.