We’ve all been flooded with feelings to the point where it’s hard to grab hold of a coherent thought. We’ve all had those times when our thoughts are spinning out of control and we just need something to hold onto long enough to get over being dizzy and feel our feet underneath us again. The flood of feelings, thoughts, memories, possible outcomes all hits us at once and we feel paralyzed to act. Here’s one way to learn to swim through the waters rather than drowning in them...

Identify the thoughts you’re having. Surrender to them.
Identify the emotions you’re having. Surrender to them.
Identify the way your emotions are showing up in your body. Be an observer of them.
Take a deep breath in and feel the thoughts, emotions and body sensations get stronger.
Exhale and let go. Watch the thoughts, emotions and body sensations leave your body with the breath and see them float away.

Let’s break this down in a little more detail. Okay, the first step is to notice your thoughts. We have to be real with ourselves that our thoughts are not always our best friend. We have irrational thoughts that can craft narratives about life or situations that aren’t true and can be really harmful if we feed into them. Once you’ve identified your thoughts, ask yourself if they’re true? Challenge your thoughts because you need to remember that YOU ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS but they shape your reality.

Next, notice your emotions. This sounds easy but I want you to really dig deep and ask yourself what you’re actually feeling. Don’t be fooled but what your first answer is – please ask yourself, what emotion is beneath the first emotion you notice. What’s below the second emotion? Go as deep as you can to determine what you’re really feeling.

Scan your body. Imagine that you have a super power and can literally see inside your body. Scan your body from top to bottom and bottom to top. Notice any tension, nervousness, discomfort. Notice how it feels, where the discomfort is located and what it’s trying to tell you.

Breathe in. Take a big deep breath in and remember that you’re safe. Now, let all the thoughts, emotions and body sensations get stronger and stronger. Fully SURRENDER to them.

Now, breathe out and let it all go. Let go of the thoughts, emotions and body sensations. Let them float away into the distance and notice the freedom you feel. Notice how calm and peaceful you feel and let that sense of calm and peace get stronger and stronger. Now, shift gears and have a great day!