Most of you are probably like, “What even is the first law of thermodynamics?”
The first law states: Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be converted from one form into another.
Okay, so, what does that have to do with processing emotions? I’ll get into that in one second, but first we must agree upon a premise. If you agree that at its foundation everything in the universe is energy, then keep reading. If not, this may not work for you.
If everything is made up of energy, then it stands to reason that emotions are energy as well. As such our emotions are also bound by the first law of thermodynamics.
Your emotional energy isn’t going anywhere unless you actively process your emotions. Most of us have never been taught how to healthfully process emotions. I’m going to nutshell that for you right now. There are three rules to follow when processing difficult emotions:
STAY OUT OF YOUR HEAD! This is the most important rule. When a not-so-pleasant emotion arises, most of us will do anything not to feel it. Typically the way we try to avoid feeling it is to analyze it. Here’s the thing though, it’s those very thoughts that are creating the neurotransmitters (mostly hormones) that cause the emotional reaction to begin with. So, when you go to think about your emotion, you end up creating more emotion, which you then try and analyze and then find yourself caught in a cycle of crappy thought, crappy emotion, crappy thought, crappy emotion… Hear me when I say: You cannot think your way through an emotion! Emotions are not thoughts; they are physical sensations. You can only feel your way through an emotion.
Observe, notice, witness, be present with the physical sensations of the emotion in your body. Drop your awareness, which is usually hanging out absentmindedly in your thoughts, down into your body. Be present with and curious about the physical sensations of that emotion. How do you know you’re experiencing that emotion? What does that emotion physically feel like? Where in your body do you feel it? How does it move and change? Be like a little scientist, curiously observing how your body communicates. Just notice, don’t analyze, judge or give meaning.
Follow your body’s instructions (cry, scream, punch, stomp, etc.). And this is where the physics comes in, you must follow your body’s instructions (safely). If your body says cry, then cry fully. If your body says wail, then wail loudly. If your body says, punch the mattress and stomp on the floor, then do it! If your body says scream, grab that pillow and scream into it! This action your body is asking you to take is the point at which your emotional energy is converted into kinesthetic and sound wave energy! When you follow your body’s instructions you are able to transmute your difficult emotions and move them out of your body.
If you don’t healthfully process your emotions, that emotional energy cannot be destroyed and it will find a place in your body to hang out and cause dis-ease until you address it. If you would like help with this kind of thing, that’s what I do.
Book your free 90-Minute Jump Start Session here.