Emotional Resilience: Wrap Up

Hello Friends! 

It's hard to believe that it has been eight weeks since I started this journey. I have learned so much and feel that practicing these tools will help me throughout my whole life. Learning about something doesn't commit it to memory like actually doing it does. 

My class project (doing this emotional resilience journey) had an end date for today. You can't believe how good it feels that I actually did it! I wrote on my blog and did the tool-of-the-week every day, even when I didn't want to or forgot about it until right before I was going to get in bed. That's quite an accomplishment for me. 

It's been amazing how using this blog has been such a great accountability tool for me.  I wonder, would this work for other things I'm struggling with doing? 

These tools have helped me understand myself better, recognize quicker when I'm getting stacked with emotions, not getting overwhelmed like I used to, feeling more calm and seeing things more clearly. I've had so many great experiences using these tools and hope to continue having them and gaining even more clarity. 

I wish everyone had these tools and would actually use them. The game changer for me to actually using them was using my class and this blog for accountability. 

Do you need accountability to help you move forward with your goals? What would help you? Whom could you be accountable to?  

Look at all these tools that we have practiced over the past eight weeks....

- Truth & Lies: We uncovered lies we were telling ourselves and replaced them with truth statements. 

- Gratitude: For experiences, things and people. We also expressed gratitude to someone. 

- Service: Daily ask, "Who can I lift and serve today?"

- Crazy Happiness: This raises our energy and happiness by dancing/moving to uplifting music. 

- Release & Refill: Release emotions by writing about them and then refill with positive. 

- Quick Forgive: I forgive myself for_____, I love myself for_____, Now I choose____.

- Create Order: Consistently doing small things around your house that has been bugging you or that has been on your mind. 

- Simmer Down: Meditate and write to unload

Plus, here are some other tools that I mentioned...

SODAS, which is a problem solving tool that stands for Situation, Options, Disadvantages, Advantages, and Solution. 

And also, prayer, studying scriptures, exercise, reading a good book, using a timer and doing something you love. For me, a couple things I love are holding babies and doing puzzles. 

So, from here, and at least for now, I'm not going to be posting on my blog every day.  It might be just once a week. 

I still plan on using several tools on a daily basis. And continuing to practice using new ones as well. 

How are you going to use these tools in your life? Will you use them every day? Once a week? Do you need accountability? 

I would love to hear about your experiences using these tools! Please comment below and let me know. 

Emotional Resilience: Simmering Down #Week8Day6

Hello Friends! 

Something happened yesterday that I needed to write about. I needed to simmer down. Remember, though, my simmering down is internal. That's something that is different for me to think of... my going inward, basically shutting down, is a way of becoming UPtight. 

Well, after writing about it, I did see it in a different light. I could think more clearly. It was quite amazing actually. I ended up thinking it was a blessing seeing it in this light. When it originally happened I was sad, I didn't talk, I even left the room. 

Those reactions were so subtle. It's looking back on the whole scenario that has helped me see it even more clearly. 

I was looking for things in my past to write about, but when this situation came up yesterday I thought, "I need to write about that."

As I have been writing about all those things in my mind and my heart I now want to change, or improve them in some way. 

Honestly, I didn't know if this tool would really work, but I feel like doing the writing and meditation together has been a powerful way to clear my mind. 

Have you noticed that your mind is more clear after using these tools? 

Emotional Resilience: Simmering Down #Week8Day5

Hello Friends! 

Since working on this tool I've been trying to be more aware of my responses to my emotions. I tend to go more inward so my responses would be more... quit helping, quit talking, blaming, and then I would get triggered and/or push away from people. 

If you are more of an external person you might be intense, then move to being loud or yelling, then say mean words and finally, push or run away. 

Each of these (internal and external) start with not doing something. For example, you're nervous about something and so you don't do it.

Here's the order in which your emotions seem to go....(from bottom to top) This is how you become UPtight. These emotions fill you up. That is why we need to know how to simmer down. 

Panic 

⬆️

Afraid

⬆️

Scared

⬆️

Worry

⬆️

Nervous

Can you see how this would work? You get nervous so you just don't do it. You think about it more and your emotions increase to worry and so you quit helping or you increase your intensity. You then feel scared and then afraid which leads you to quit talking or being loud and even yelling. Then you experience fear and you start blaming or saying mean words. And finally you panic which causes you to be triggered and push away or run away. 

Which one seems more like you? 

I go inward. So, I need to look for when I don't do something. If I miss that cue, then I need to look for when I quit helping then quit talking... and so forth. 

These emotions and responses would also be good things to look for when I'm doing my writing. 

This tool is a great preventative measure, but if you don't use it to prevent, then start meditating and writing when you see those cues. 

Do you see any of those cues coming up in your life? 

Emotional Resilience: Simmering Down #Week8Day4

Hello Friends! 

My meditation audio says, "When we are experiencing stress our amygdala fires up and it's difficult to make thoughtful decisions. So if we find our mind is clouded due to overwhelm we can use meditation as a tool to calm the mind down. Ideally we want to meditate in a preventative way so we don't get to that point."

Here is one definition of amygdala: a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. 

And then this: The amygdala helps control our fear response, but it also plays a crucial role in many other cognitive functions. Therefore, damage to the amygdala can cause serious problems, such as poor decision-making and impaired emotional memories. 

It's interesting to learn that deep breathing helps calm our amygdala response down. I do that a lot! Something will happen that might be a little stressful or I'll learn something about one of my kids or be in crazy traffic or something that happens often is I'll start feeling overwhelmed and I'll take a deep breath...or several. It really has helped a lot over the years. Now I know why. 

My writing and meditation exercises have been going well. I want to keep working on the writing and going deeper with all the stuff on my mind and things that I haven't said. 

How are you doing with your meditation and writing? 

Emotional Resilience: Simmering Down #Week8Day3

Hello Friends! 

Well, I did do a little bit of writing yesterday. I see how it will be more helpful the deeper I go. 

Something that I struggle with is I quit talking when things are bothering me. Other people yell and say mean words. I really want this tool to be preventative in helping me not get to that point. 

So, what is bothering you? Do you go inward and quit talking? Or do you go outward and yell or say mean words? Have you put what's bothering you in writing? 

Emotional Resilience: Simmering Down #Week8Day2

Hello Friends! 

Honestly, the only thing I have been doing is the meditation each day. I'm on vacation and haven't done any typing yet. 

Today I am committed to write (type) at lest for a few minutes. 

The meditations have been going good. I am still trying to figure out how to relax certain parts of my body, but it's getting better. 

How about you, have you tried the typing tool yet? How is the meditation tool going for you? 

Emotional Resilience: Simmering Down #Week8Day1

Hello Friends! 

I took some time yesterday and chose a meditation audio. It was a free one on YouTube. I will probably look for others as well. For now I will try this audio a couple of times and see how I like it. 

Did you find a meditation audio that you are going to try?