An easy tool to regulate your emotions

How are you doing right now? This is not a random question. I genuinely want you to check-in with yourself right now and ask yourself “How am I feeling?”  Feel your emotions. 

Doesn’t matter where you are, it’ll just take a few seconds.

It could be just one thing – tired, relaxed, excited, low…..

Or it could be a mix – excited and overwhelmed or sleepy and content or even grateful and anxious….

Or it could be a sensation – light in my body, heavy in my gut….

Go on, do it now!

What you just did is called an “Emotional Check-in”.

This is a tool I have been teaching my clients for years now.

And going forward, I am encouraging you to utilise this tool in your life as well.  Here’s why. 

Have you ever had an experience where:
– Someone asked you a very simple question, and you landed up snapping at them or feeling irritable? This is due to misplaced emotions.
– Something really small happened – like you forgot to buy something during grocery shopping – and you burst out into tears? This disproportionate reaction to a small event is a sign of ignored emotions.
– Do you ever feel like your entire body is heavy and exhausted at the end of the day and all you want to do is shut down and sleep? This is because your body has been storing unaddressed emotions.

These are all signs that it would be useful for you to start checking in with your emotions regularly with a simple “How am I feeling right now?”

Whatever the answer may be, just acknowledge it and that will be enough.
Emotions don’t need to be solved, they just need to be acknowledged.
Once you acknowledge an emotion, you give it permission to start processing.

I’m sharing just a few consequences of failing to regularly check in with your emotions below: 

  • Increased Stress and Anxiety: Ignoring your emotions can lead to a build-up of stress and anxiety. Unaddressed emotions can fester and intensify over time, potentially leading to chronic feelings of unease or overwhelm.
  • Impact on Mental Health: Ignored emotions can contribute to the development or exacerbation of mental health issues, such as mood disorders. When emotions aren’t acknowledged and addressed, they can contribute to negative thought patterns and behaviours.
  • Strained Relationships: Emotions play a crucial role in our interactions with others. If you’re not in touch with your emotions, you might struggle to understand the feelings and needs of those around you. This could lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and damaged relationships.
  • Physical Health Consequences: Unaddressed emotions can manifest as physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive problems, and even chronic pain. Emotional stress can have a direct impact on the body’s physiological responses.

Crazy right?

Just a simple Emotional Check-in with yourself 3 times a day can have a positive impact on your overall well-being. It’s as easy as eating 3 meals a day!

You know, when I started my personal growth journey, I was so disconnected from my own emotions that I couldn’t name them. My emotional vocabulary was probably equivalent to that of Sheldon in Big Bang Theory Season 1 . Translation if you haven’t watched BBT – I could name 1 or 2 emotions. 

I had been so used to suppressing my emotions all my life and furiously avoiding unresourceful ones, that I couldn’t identify how I was feeling. 

If this is you right now, it’s ok. This is very common and is easily solvable. When you do an Emotional Check-in, if all you can identify is a sensation, that’s perfectly ok too. Maybe you know you feel queasy in your stomach, or heavy in the head. You don’t necessarily have to name the emotion – because noticing the sensation is noticing the emotions. 

Emotions store themselves in our body. They are felt in your body.
Think about it, have you ever felt an emotion without a corresponding sensation? Most likely not. 

How can you start? 

You did a check-in right now. Do one before bed. Then do one when you wake up.

You can add a reminder on your phone for 3x a day too.

You can club it with your meals and do a check-in just before you start eating a meal.

Do share if you feel any difference from within.

All my love, 

Raashi

PS Are you following me on Instagram yet? @wellnessbyraashi

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