April 2020

April Mental Health Challenge: Developing Emotional Awareness 
When you know how you are feeling, you can better regulate your emotions and attend to your needs. Sounds simple enough, however we often do not realize what emotions we are experiencing and it can be difficult to even identify and describe what we are feeling. During unique times like this pandemic, many of us are left feeling confused, numb, or unsure of what it is we are feeling. If we don't know what we feel, it also makes it really difficult to know what to do to cope! Emotional awareness can help you to better understand the impulses and urges that you are experiencing in reaction to the pandemic. Following these step can help you to identify your emotions, as well understanding what your needs are in the moment. 

Step 1: Observe - Notice your thoughts and feelings, wordlessly watch as they come up. Are there any physical sensations that you notice (tightness, heat, butterflies)?

Step 2: Describe/Label the emotion - Using the feelings wheel above, try to identify what emotions best fits with what you are experiencing. 

Step 3: Allowing space for the emotion - Do not try and change your feelings. Can you accept it, and allow yourself to experience it before jumping to trying to "stop" it? 

Step 4: Identify the need - What is the emotion trying to alert you to? Anxiety might mean you need reassurance or safety, sadness could mean that you need comfort and support, whereas anger might indicate the need for a boundary or that a boundary has been violated.

Step 5: Taking Action - What healthy choices can you make to address your need? 

We can either let out emotions push us around by getting us to behave impulsively or we can harness our emotions to help us make healthier choices. Take some time during each day to check in with yourself and see if you can identify your emotions and what you need in that moment.  It can also help to use mindfulness to "ride the wave" of the emotion as it rises and then falls. 

Use the following script and take a mindfulness moment and see if you are able to "Ride the Wave"

Be aware of the emotion
In a non-judgmental and mindful manner, recognize the feeling that you are experiencing. Name the feeling and think of it as part of you, but not all of you.
Experience it
Experience your feeling like a wave moving like the ocean.  You can’t stop a strong wave from coming towards you. Try not to push the feeling away or take hold of it. Don’t try to control it too strongly or make the feeling bigger than it is either. Instead, ride out the wave of emotion in an appropriate manner.
Remember, this feeling is only one part of you
This emotion should not force you to react in any certain way, especially in a way that is harmful to you. Recall moments when you experienced more positive emotions to remind yourself that they will return soon enough. Like a wave in the ocean, this feeling will take its course.
Accept and tolerate your emotion
Try not to assign positive or negative thoughts to this feeling. Fully accept that this feeling is part of you right now, but it is only temporary. Try pretending that your feeling is a “guest” in your home, who you can tolerate “hosting” for the time being.

(Source: “RIDING THE WAVE”-A Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Metaphor For Mastering Emotions by Ben Caunt)