An Emotion Is Only An Emotion Until We Give It Power

There is a brightness in the world, a turning of perception. Can you feel it? I can. I am not sure what it means, but the world appears different — it pulses with opportunity. I feel change within each breath. 

But, change is a tricky thing. Just when you are certain that every thing has slipped into place, you discover another piece of the change. As change realigns, the whole image of what you believe is happening shifts. Sometimes that realignment is really tough to move through. 

What do you do in that moment? Do you give up? Plow through the unexpected? If you are like me, you spend a long moment filled becoming almost overwhelmed by the frustration of plans thwarted. Then, after allowing the frustration to rise up and then slid off your being — you know, let it ride its course — I get back onto the new path of change. 

Let’s back up. How does frustration run its course? For me, it  begins with identifying the feeling. Saying to myself, “I am frustrated!” Although it is really hard, I need to find a way to be okay with the frustration. An emotion is only an emotion until we give it power over us. So, I don’t cling to the frustration. I am objective about it. I don’t make it any more of a part of me than the passing emotion it is. 

I notice the emotion while not judging it as good or bad or not-this-again! I don’t defend my right to be frustrated. I just notice the frustration and how it is attempting to get its grappling hooks into me. In this noticing, I do not give the emotion any real energy. Yes, being objective is as hard as it sounds. Remember, this is about practice making our skills permanent not making our execution of these skills perfect.

For you see, when I identify the emotion instead of identifying with it, I no longer take it so personally. It is just another challenge on this journey of transformation. I curiously and objectively enter the change with all its twists and turns. My daring and courage propel me into exactly where I need to be. 

Change is rarely straightforward. It is messy, uncertain. In the unknowing comes the power to be who I truly am — who you truly are. Feeling an emotion is about finessing it, learning from it, and using the power behind it to be the change. That is what is so desperately  needed in this world. 

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an intuitive-coach-catalyst. As a contemplative coach, she uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for navigating those scary places. The result? Creating a blue print for your life through a deeper connection to your intuition. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Her most recent book, As Natural As Breathing: Being Intuitive, is available on Amazon. Contact Vanessa for life coaching, intuitive consultations, keynotes, and programs.

Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2021

Let’s Get Real

Take a long, loving look at the real is one of my favorite moment checks. It doesn’t ask you to judge, defend, or react in any way. It encourages you to be in the moment. 

I think we can all agree that the current situation offers plenty of opportunities for reaction. Taking a long loving look invites us into the moment objectively.

Begin that long, loving look by asking yourself what is happening in your life. Create a snapshot with these questions and others:  Are you working from home? Laid off? Working in a high risk environment? Do you live alone or with others? Do you have furry friends? Who do you come in contact with daily? How is my current life situation (financial, familial, professional, communal) impacting me? These are important elements affect how your life looks like in the now.

Next, name what helps you stay in the moment. What are your chief relaxers? Who is your support system? How do you get through you day? Identify at least one beneficial that impacts each of the four aspects of your being: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Then, identify what stresses you. Make a list of stressors that impact each of your aspects — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Be specific when identifying how they are impacting you.

Now, look at the two lists together. Are you finding ways to reduce stress in all four aspects of your being? If not, identify what you might do to reduce stress in a particular aspect. Focus on simple solutions for relief. 

Let’s look at some examples: 

• Physically: I walk and practice tai chi on the days that I am not at work in an essential business. These keep me active and release built up physical tension.
• Mentally: I journal. I am also alert to when my monkey mind gets carried away. I respond to my internal monologue by rescripting my reaction to the trigger into a response.
• Emotionally: I journal, I tai chi, I listen to music. The intent is to let go of emotional stress with these activities and replace it with joy.
• Spiritually: I reconnect my inner spark to the sacred however and wherever it presents. The intent is to celebrate the interconnectedness of all as I remind myself that I am not alone.

The most important part, for me, is to remember that it is easy to get stuck in the illusion that we craft about the real. We can feel helpless and without control as we ride a runaway train of uncertainty instead of remembering that no matter what situation we find our self in, we can change our reactions to responses. That is what taking a long, loving look is about. 

We get real about what is happening when we take a long, loving look. We acknowledge how we suffer. Then we ask our self what we can do to alleviate the suffering in that moment — be it our suffering or the suffering of another. We practice self compassion and compassion to others. We engage our entire being in that long, loving look. 

This look doesn’t stop with examination. It continues with our response in each moment that we show up as our best compassionate self for ourself and others.

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an Intuitive, Coach, Catalyst, who uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for personal and relationship transformation. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Contact Vanessa  (vanessa@intentandaction.com) for life coaching, intuitive consultations, keynotes, and programs.

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2020