feeling the blues…
Are you feeling the blues?
First things first, I dislike talking about pain points because I find that this kind of talk produces a sense of lacking, not being enough or being less than. This kind of talk is what turns me off social media at times. Instead, I like to speak of growing points, because the words we use does make a difference. My aim is to be of service, empower my readers and be part of the solution to healing humans and ultimately this beautiful planet.
In this post, when I speak of (emotional) pain, it’s a placeholder for any “negative” emotion such as anger, sadness, despair or -fill in the blank-. The reason why I speak about pain in this post is that I felt the blues the other day; both on a personal and collective level. So I wanted to share my thoughts about how I deal with personal pain.
Instead of suppressing, covering up or acting on the pain, I try and find a quiet spot where and when it suits me and I sit with the pain. I try to tune into what I’m supposed to learn from this.
Because I’m a sensitive person, my first coping mechanism is to cry it all out. Then I focus and pay attention to the pain and acknowledge it with compassion. The antidote to whatever I’m feeling comes from inquiring what the nature of the pain is and where it comes from.
This is a buddhist practice to be mindful of and have compassion for the pain and, of course, myself. It is also often called inner child work or shadow work.
The following are just some of the questions that assist me in working through the pain:
Where does it come from?
What does the pain trigger in me?
Where’s it located in my body?
What shape, texture, colour does it have?
How am I responding to the pain?
How does this serve me?
How do I act on it?
What can I do differently?
What will I do differently?
By inquiring or “shining a light on” the pain, I rationalise and minimise the pain and I can find an adequate solution that"‘s aligned with my values.
This is by no means a quick fix, but practice eventually makes “perfect”.
How does this post resonate with you? How do you deal differently with (emotional) pain?
