“The way back to integration, or a whole brain, is to honor the signals our emotions are giving us, allowing us to respond appropriately. . . . Because we haven’t repressed the sensations, they actually have less power. Once we consciously identify what’s going on, we have more closure as to how and when to attend to it. The more frequently we do this, the better our entire selves become at trying softer.”- Aundi Kolber
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”- Romans 8:22 (NIV)
Aundi Kolber continues Chapter 8 of Try Softer as she states that she sometimes compares our tolerance for emotions and/or sensations to a muscle we can strengthen. However, if we fail to move the muscles in our bodies, they atrophy. In a similar way, when we ignore our emotions, our capacity to sense and live into them diminishes. Furthermore, if we ignore, numb, or disconnect from our emotions, the wisdom our bodies possess finds another way to get its point across.
Therefore, we must embrace — and thereby tolerate — the idea that our emotional self is part of what makes us human. As a result, Aundi presents five principles to help make our emotional muscles stronger. Aundi covers the first one today.
1. Name the experience. Profoundly positive effects result when we take a moment to simply take note of our feelings. Hence, researcher Linda Feldman coined the term emotional granularity. It’s the ability to identify as well as articulate the words most closely matching our experiences. And the more we do this, the more it seems to help us regulate.
In conclusion, Aundi explains:
” . . . feeling truly understood speaks to our deepest needs as humans. This is what emotional granularity does for each of us; it’s like pinpointing a place on a map that we need to find.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you find your way back to a whole brain? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Riding the wave of emotion”
