What is the normal range of emotions?

Have you ever thought about who decides this?

It’s you!

Why are you uncomfortable when you go outside of your comfortable emotional spectrum?

What is your emotional range?

When you start to get out of your comfortable emotional spectrum, what do you find yourself doing?

Why am I asking these questions? Because, when my clients leave the comfort of their familiar emotions, the urge to eat or some other unhealthy behavior present themselves.

It shows up and says, "Hello friend, have a treat”! You feel that you must need soothing, even when the feeling is fantastic! Even when it is something awesome, it feels uncomfortable!

WHAT?

I'm starting this blog with questions because I want you to pause and think about this. I want you to answer these questions as they apply to you.

Knowing what your emotional spectrum is will help you understand why you are diving for food or other means of soothing when stronger emotions show up. When you are aware of the emotions that make you uncomfortable, you will be empowered you to take care of yourself instead of eating. This knowledge will help you learn to sit with those emotions when you normally would eat.

Everyone's emotional spectrum is different. What often happens is that you feel a range of emotions larger than you want to. You want to be someone who doesn't feel a lot of emotions, so when you do, you feel like something has gone terribly wrong. You don't get to choose what your spectrum is and that's ok!

Feeling on a higher level is a beautiful thing!

The ability to feel strongly is what gives people compassion and understanding. It is the reason why highly emotional people can write, describe, and reveal what others don't realize or even know they are feeling. When this "emotional" person describes what they are feeling and experiencing, the less "emotional" person is many times enlightened. 

How do you increase your ability to be comfortable with your emotional spectrum?  How do you become ok with feeling intense emotions and not hiding from them?

1. The first step is awareness. It is learning about what you are feeling. Understanding that sometimes when you reach an amazing goal and feel elated, you find yourself in a bag of chips. Being aware of when you find yourself eating instead of starting the hard project you keep procrastinating doing. Intense positive and negative emotions can be challenging to feel.

2. Next, see if you can be present with your emotion and do nothing. Pause and feel the vibration. This will be challenging if you are practiced in running and hiding, but stay with it!

3. Now, after the vibration has been noticed, decide what you actually need to solve. Do you really need Cheetos or do you need to address something that is wrong? Do you need support? Do you need to celebrate? Do you need to rest?

Solve for the actual feeling instead of eating.