I was looking through some stock photography today and I came across this photo of a little girl blowing bubbles, and it dawned on me, that our lives are a little bit like bubbles.
Life is Like a Bubble
We come from a place that’s full of love and wonder. Through innocent creation, we are born. Yet as we get further and further from our source, we begin to feel disconnected.
Flowing whichever way the wind blows us, we can experience feelings of exhilaration and excitement as well as those of isolation and lack of control. Anxiety and fear slowly replace wonder and excitement. Thoughts linger in our mind as we anticipate the inevitable end, never knowing when it will happen.
Some of us ascend to the sky, traveling a journey far greater than any we could have ever imagined, while others seem to struggle and barely get off the ground. Each of us has a unique journey to travel. Some are long, and others exist only for what feels like mere moments. Either way, it’s never long enough.
As each bubble bursts, there is a feeling of sadness among all who have witnessed the journey. But where there is an end, there is also a new beginning. New creations are once again blown into existence through the innocence of a child who feels only love and wonder for the world around them and the endless flow of possibility.
Fragile and Ready to Burst
Do you ever feel like you are as fragile and ready to burst like a bubble? Some days it can feel like the slightest shift could be all it takes to cause you to explode. But what is it that causes these so-called explosions?
How is it, that we can be happy or joyful in one moment, and then ready to explode in another? I’m sure you’ve experienced a shift like this in your life. Something happens, or someone says something and it sets off a bomb within you. A trigger has been activated. It’s often very difficult to ignore the mounting feeling of energy as it builds within.
So where does that come from and what do we do with that build up or that charge of energy, so that we can somehow get through it without exploding?
What Is a Trigger?
I talked about this the other day and you can find more on it here: How to Recognize Your Emotional Triggers
But I’ll summarize a bit for anyone who might not have read my previous post.
Most of our emotional triggers were created from the time we were born to the time we reached age 7. Triggers are essentially patterns of belief and when one of those beliefs or expectations, if that’s easier to understand, is threatened, we can become triggered.
We create additional triggers throughout our life as well. But when we’re young we create more emotional triggers because we aren’t yet capable of rationalizing and emotionally handling all of the things that we experience. Our reactions as an adult then sometimes revert us back to child-like responses.
If you think about it, it makes sense. When you first experienced something that resulted in negative or intense emotion, you were likely a child and your capacity to understand and rationalize what was going on, was limited. So the feelings you felt and how you dealt with whatever it was, become part of a pattern of belief.
We carry the core part of those beliefs through to your adult life. So now, when you experience something similar, you revert back to your first experience and how you felt. That’s natural and just part of how our minds work. Our minds are meant to look for patterns and then respond accordingly.
We don’t often realize this, because, often times as an adult, we have a different understand or rationalization around the same event, and yet the emotional charge we feel can still be overwhelming and rather intense. So intense, that we can lose control and explode before we even have a chance to really think about the situation.
Recognizing When You’ve Been Triggered
The first step to conquering your mind when you’ve been triggered so that you CAN recognize what is happening before you explode is to first understand what it is that triggers you.
For more information on how to recognize your triggers, read my previous article on How to Recognize Your Emotional Triggers.
You’ve Been Triggered. So Now What?
In that moment of recognition or realization that you’ve been triggered, you have a choice. You can choose how you want to react. That’s often easier said than done, however. Though I’m much more aware of my triggers the moments when I’m triggered, I don’t always manage to contain or release the emotional charge the way I would want to. It’s a work in progress. It does get easier, however. Here is how to do it.
The moment you recognize that you are emotionally responding or experiencing an emotional charge, you need to shift your perspective and emotional state so that you can more rationally think through what triggered you.
To do this, follow these steps:
- BREATHE – Take in a deep breath through your nose. You need to get oxygen to the higher brain quickly. This will help you to relax so that you can think more clearly. Take a few deep breaths through your nose to help you do this.
- SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE – Move your awareness to your energy centers just below your navel. In most situations, one of our core needs or beliefs is feeling threatened which will stem from your lower chakras. Detach from the situation so that you can view it as a witness rather than being consumed by it.
- NOTICE – While remaining detached and focusing inward, allow yourself to notice where the emotional charge has manifested within your body. Is your chest tight? Is your throat sore or aching? Do you feel as though your stomach is in knots? These are all examples of how energy binds up within us during an energetic charge. There are any number of physical feelings you can experience during an emotional charge, so take a moment to scan your body and see what you notice.
- ASSESS – Is a core need actually being threatened? Is someone actually taking something away from you? Is your life actually in danger? Does the situation truly warrant the emotional charge that has been created?
- RELEASE – If not, then deeply and fully exhale and imagine the energy flowing up and out of you with your breath. You can do this as many times as needed to release the charge.
- RE-FOCUS – Choose one word or emotion that describes how you want to be in that moment and then feel it. Believe it. Choose to experience it and then move forward.
Once you have shifted your perspective and paused long enough to assess the situation, you can more rationally determine if someone is actually threatening you or taking something from you. At that point, you are in a better position to ask for what you need or to move on and simply let it go.
Everything I outlined might seem like it takes a long time, but in actuality, it really only takes a moment. You can breathe as you shift your perspective and assess the situation. Then as you’re releasing some of the built-up charge through deep exhales you can be re-focusing and choosing how you want to move forward.
The key to releasing an emotional charge once triggered is to keep breathing.
What’s Next?
Now that you have a better understanding of what your triggers might be, what it feels like to be triggered, and how to shift your perspective so that you can better assess the situation and choose how you will respond, you’re ready for the next step.
And what is that? Start practicing.
Take what you’ve learned, and just give it a try.
What have you got to lose? An ill-timed explosion? Some stress?
Everything I’ve shared with you can be done. The more you do it, the easier it gets. And if you don’t succeed every time, that’s okay. You can try again the next time, and the next time and the next. We are all on a unique journey, experience exactly what we are meant to experience in each moment.