We all have them - yes even the most upbeat, optimistic and high vibing among us, how so?! because we're living real lives and as long as our hearts have the capacity to feel, we encounter the full spectrum of emotions through our life experiences.
Off-days aren't something to feel bad about or disappointed in yourself for, they're bringing valid feelings to the surface for a reason so instead of trying to figure out why it's happening and push against it, do the opposite and face the feelings head on. Sometimes it's a way of getting us to slow down, disconnect and refocus our attention inwards in order to be ready for the personal growth that lies ahead. Our emotions are there to guide us and if we allow them to, we can use them to our advantage. I personally see off-days as an intuitive nudge telling me to pay attention to something that I may have consciously been ignoring.
Instead of looking for the quick fix way-out from the uncomfortable feelings, take some time for yourself to understand what's being brought to your attention. I used to struggle to do this but I now know the importance of not repressing my emotions which can lead to unhealthy behaviours. I've learned to be at peace with off-days and have faith that they will pass once I've processed the emotions that they've raised within me. Occasional off-days are nothing to worry about but instead a normal healthy part of learning how to process, release and ultimately balance your emotional state.
By accepting the off-day for what it is, you automatically let yourself off the hook for feeling how you're feeling. Let yourself sit with it and admit how you feel - worried, anxious, depressed, resentful or whatever. This is a necessary observation that helps to separate us from the feeling. We are the observer of our feelings and thoughts, we are not the feelings and thoughts themselves.
Say out-loud to yourself what you're feeling and observe how your body responds (tensions, tears, trembling, racing heart etc). Write down whatever is weighing heavily on you and see what else comes to the surface. Those that prefer to verbally process their feelings may want to reach out to a friend or loved one. Take whatever route feels comfortable for you but don't try to look for the solution yet, just give the uncomfortable feelings space to surface so that you can begin to process them. Breathe.
Once you've accepted and released what it is that you're feeling, notice how you feel less burdened by having done so. Often just by observing these thoughts and emotions, they start to feel so much less of a big deal than how they felt whilst they were rattling around in your head. Finding an outlet is a really healthy way of processing your emotions whether it be in making music, exercise, art, writing, dance, singing etc. Everyone is creative and everyone has the ability to create so pick up whatever suits you and get to it. It can be hard to want to get started but the minute you do, you're actively diverting your energy and focus away from the heavy emotion and to the dopamine reward centre in your brain.
There's no fixed rule on how quickly we process our emotions and what's easy for one person may be much harder for another. We're all different and some emotions are more complicated to process than others depending on our own unique life experiences. The important thing is that we make positive steps forwards in finding our way through the off-days to bring us back to a place of emotional balance and contentment.
If you're experiencing more emotionally off-days than good days, it's likely that you're struggling to break a negative inner-talk narrative. This is where binaural brain entrainment can help you to realign your thoughts from the subconscious level and bring you back to a positive inner narrative. From here you'll find that bouncing back from an off-day is much easier and quicker to do. For more information about how this treatment works, feel free to get in touch and I'll be happy to explain it in more detail.
© Word With Yourself 2024
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