As I prepare to lead a new book club call this week on the topic of Creating a Journal, I am reminded that journals are a place where we must reveal, pour out and examine our emotions with a sense of curiosity. So many people come to me seeking guidance on life purpose these days and my belief is that emotions are the answer. Emotions play a critical role in helping each soul navigate the big life lessons that bring true purpose to our unique mission as a human being.
Many coaches don’t delve into emotions as much as I do, preferring to leave that to licensed therapists. I must step up and say that coaches, especially someone like me who has specialized training in Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or other energy self-care processes are a most appropriate resource for a healthy clients seeking to honor their emotions as part of a balanced self-awareness plan. EFT is an incredible tool for restoring balance of energy flow and creating a sense of well-being. What I love most about it is that it becomes a powerful self-care tool that helps you deal with emotions as they come up with a new sense of confidence.
Much of my coaching practice is about empowering clients to recognize and balance their energy by working with emotions for guidance. More often than not, the energy drains and blocks my clients report can be traced to emotions that have been repeatedly stuffed away for days, weeks, months and even years. You can’t heal what you don’t recognize. Stress and physical symptoms only compound as emotions get stuffed away. Having intense emotions does not mean that you are sick, mentally ill or depressed. Emotions mean you are human!
It is time to realize that each moment of extreme emotional intensity, whether it is a high blissful state or one of agony, teach us about who we are, what we value and what kind of path we are on.
Honoring Emotional Intensity in Your Journal
Consider beginning a process to document your emotional peaks and valleys each day. I suggest the following each morning as you reflect on the previous day:
1. List 3-5 of your peak “Intensity Moments” each day and identify what the emotion you felt was. Rate the intensity on a scale of 0-10. Intensity moments can be scenes of pure joy, gratitude, fear, worry, rage or anger just to name a few. They are the highest peaks and the lowest valleys. Some days you will have more of one extreme than another. If you don’t have much intensity some days, that is fine too. (I find this usually happens when I am on vacation and totally relaxed, which is interesting indeed!) Pay attention to the most intense things, be honest about what you feel, give them a name and a number rating.
2. Comment about how you dealt with the feeling. If you used a healing technique like EFT to process a painful or unpleasant emotion, jot down a note about what you did and how you felt after your self-care treatment. If you medicated your intense emotion with food, alcohol, cigarettes, surfing the internet or shopping, you might also want to admit this in your journal. Also jot down a note if you celebrated an emotional high through expressing gratitude or by sharing your joy with someone else.
3. Is this feeling or scene revealing your unique part of a bigger picture? Consider what this intensity is telling you about who you are. When your core values are disrupted or challenged, you will be agitated. When your values are served, you will feel calm and wonderful. Allow these intense feelings to reveal your mission, purpose and inner longings. As you use emotions to know yourself better, you will recognize how your unique nature fits into and helps you serve the world around you. It may take a few weeks to begin getting a sense of this, so instead of hurrying the process, simply witness and reflect on it.
You are here to be uniquely you, emotions and all. Pay attention and you will awaken a new way of understanding your deepest truth.
Want to learn more about Emotional Freedom Techniques, energy self-care and using a journal to as part of your personal energy makeover? The basic EFT sequence and several treatment scripts can be found in my book, Energy Makeover – A Conscious Way to Stay Young, Have Fun and Get More Done!. Join my mailing list at www.theindigoconnection.com to learn more about group EFT events or call 440-238-4731 to schedule a private EFT coaching consultation by phone.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein is educational in nature, is provided only as general self-care guidance and is not medical advice. The information presented is not intended to be diagnostic or substitute for obtaining medical advice or psychological care. Please consult with your physician or licensed practitioner.
