{"id":823,"date":"2011-12-28T05:53:26","date_gmt":"2011-12-28T10:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/awakeintheworld\/?p=823"},"modified":"2011-12-28T05:58:37","modified_gmt":"2011-12-28T10:58:37","slug":"taking-your-emotional-temperature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/12\/taking-your-emotional-temperature.html","title":{"rendered":"Taking Your Emotional Temperature"},"content":{"rendered":"

The time\u00a0leading up\u00a0to the New Year rush causes more stress than most any other period.\u00a0 Between high expectations, financial pressure and duties to family and friends it\u2019s easy to lose sight of one\u2019s feelings and forget about self-care.\"\"<\/p>\n

Often explosions, depression and negative feelings come when we\u2019re not keying in to\u00a0emotions.\u00a0\u00a0They build up beneath the surface\u00a0and\u00a0remain buried there\u00a0until they\u00a0burst out\u00a0in unexpected moments and words slip out that may injure others.<\/p>\n

Bringing feelings to light through writing makes them conscious.\u00a0 Awareness of\u00a0deep-lying sentiments about spending time with\u00a0family and\u00a0friends\u00a0or coping with office parties and Christmas shopping can help to prepare for these events\u00a0in\u00a0healthy ways.<\/p>\n

I love to use writing as a way of taking a mental pause.\u00a0 I set aside a few moments at a cafe or in a quiet place at home where I will not be disturbed, then I sit down and check in with how I\u2019m feeling by writing about whatever pops up.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no structure, no worry about where it will go or\u00a0if the writing will be any good.\u00a0 I write for my eyes only as a way of paying attention to what\u2019s going on inside of my body, mind and spirit.<\/p>\n

The process is simple and familiar:<\/p>\n

1) Set the intention to check in with yourself through writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2) Schedule a time. <\/strong><\/p>\n

3) Write continuously without stopping for the amount of time you set.\u00a0<\/strong> Sometimes five minutes will open the gate to expressing those deeper feelings about upcoming situations.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re at a loss for a words or nothing comes, then continue to repeat one word like peace or contentment (or whatever feels appropriate for you).\u00a0 Write the word over and over until something else comes in.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had people tell me that simply writing a single uplifting word non-stop can transform how they feel.\u00a0 This exercise is a way of listening to your heart during a period when you may be required to pay attention to everyone except yourself.\u00a0 Awareness of emotions opens the door to transforming them.<\/p>\n

By knowing in advance that a situation will challenge you,\u00a0you can\u00a0resolve to\u00a0speak kindly and\u00a0actively promote holiday harmony.\u00a0 We can\u2019t often change our environment or the people we love and live with, but we can become conscious of our attitudes and learn to accept others as they are.\u00a0 It\u2019s a first step in accepting ourselves\u00a0unconditionally.<\/p>\n

Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a>. A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind\/body\/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The time\u00a0leading up\u00a0to the New Year rush causes more stress than most any other period.\u00a0 Between high expectations, financial pressure and duties to family and friends it\u2019s easy to lose sight of one\u2019s feelings and forget about self-care. Often explosions, depression and negative feelings come when we\u2019re not keying in to\u00a0emotions.\u00a0\u00a0They build up beneath the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,10,4,26,125,3],"tags":[346,345,557,554,5,555,556],"class_list":["post-823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-meditation","category-oneness","category-spiritual-practice","tag-awake-in-the-world","tag-debra-moffitt","tag-journaling","tag-self-care","tag-spirituality","tag-understanding-emotions","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nTaking Your Emotional Temperature - Awake in the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/12\/taking-your-emotional-temperature.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taking Your Emotional Temperature - Awake in the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The time\u00a0leading up\u00a0to the New Year rush causes more stress than most any other period.\u00a0 Between high expectations, financial pressure and duties to family and friends it\u2019s easy to lose sight of one\u2019s feelings and forget about self-care. 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