You may not think of your emotions as a domain of practice. I know I didn’t. I just thought life sucked.
But experience has taught me that emotions aren’t just experienced. They are influenced by practice over time.
I haven’t always believed this. For most of my life I believed my emotions were beyond my control.
I’ve seen psychologists and psychiatrists since college. I’ve memorized scripture about the peace of God that passes understanding. I’ve prayed. If there’s a self help book, I’ve read it. These all helped in their way, but there didn’t seem to be a “cure.”
I struggled with anxiety in particular. There always seemed to be some general nonspecific anxiety in my body whether I had anything to worry about or not. Nothing seemed to turn it off, not medicine, not scripture, not prayer.
Finally a friend referred me to an Emotional Polar Therapist. The practice seemed strange to me, but has proven effective. In addition to the office visits, she gave me various meditation and yoga exercises to do at home.
The short of it is I’ve finally found an off button to that anxiety. And I no longer take medication.
But we all are different. What worked for me may not work for you. But then again, it might. The idea behind a practice group is that we can learn from each other, from our mistakes and our successes.
Some questions for discussion might be:
- How do I feel? Where in my body am I feeling my emotions?
- How are my emotions affected by my diet?
- What am I feeding my head? How does this affect what I feel?
- What am I specifically practicing to improve my emotional health?
circleofpractice 