An old Cherokee told his grandson:
“My son, there’s a battle between two wolves inside us all.One is Evil. It’s anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego.The other is Good. It’s joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness & truth.”The boy thought about it, and asked:
“Grandfather, which wolf wins?”The old man quietly replied:
“The one you feed.”
The truth is that we all have feelings everyday and we intuitively just cope with them. This all seems to work good enough until circumstances change and then all of the sudden you are experiencing anger or sadness at a level 8 or 9 on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the highest. This is when you might like to look at a list like this one...
If you are a current client with me, here is the list I told you about. If you are overwhelmed by your emotions, and are considering whether or not therapy is going to be part of your journey, I would love to talk. Call today for an appointment!
COPING 101:
1. Distraction- Get involved in conversation, listen to music or talk radio, read, do puzzles, watch TV, play computer games, make a list, learn something new, clean, garden, finish an art project.
2. Grounding- Use what you can see, hear, smell or taste to distract you from overwhelming emotions. You can smell fragrances, slowly taste food, notice the colors around you. Walk on the grass barefoot, squeeze clay or mud, do yoga, meditate, or exercise.
3. Emotional Release-This one is fun! You can yell, scream, run! Try a cold shower. Let yourself cry. Put on a funny DVD and let yourself laugh! Try boxing, popping balloons, or crank up some music.
4. Self-Love- If this is hard for you, you might have to implement “opposite action” to get started. Let me know if you have questions during our next session. You can massage hands with fragrant lotion, manicure your nails, cook a special meal, clean your house (or just make your bed), bubble bath or long shower, brush hair, buy a small treat.
5. Thought Challenge-Write down negative thoughts then list all the reasons they may not be true. Imagine if someone you love had these thoughts – what advice would you give them?
6. Access Higher Self-Help someone else, smile at strangers (see how many smiles you get back), pray, volunteer, do randomly kind things for others, pat dogs at the local park, join a cause
Taken from http://www.indigodaya.com/