Have you ever tried just being with uncomfortable feelings, like anxiety and observing how they move, where they like to hang out, how you can breathe into them and their weight lessens?
All too often we try to zap away icky feelings with distractions like our phones (I’m totally talking to myself here!), food, TV, anything that will get our minds off the ick.
When if we waited a bit and just sat with those feelings?
I know as busy moms (or people in general) it can be extra challenging to just sit for a bit, but I've found that running around keeping busy is also a distraction.
In order to get to the root of the ick, we must slow down and wait. Or maybe better put, breathe into the ick.
Often the ick is some part of us that is feeling neglected and just needs some TLC. Think of it like a toddler acting out because they want attention. That's how we can imagine or envision our difficult feelings too.
And once we feel some relief from the pressure that was weighing on us, we can refused on what helped and even what was the greater message the ick was trying to tell us.
Once you've slowed down, waited a bit, breathed into the discomfort, and finally felt a bit of relief, try asking yourself these questions:
Did it help to slow way down?
Was it helpful to breathe into the ick?
How did it feel to show our most vulnerable parts some love?
And what do you feel the ick was trying to tell you?
If the icky feeling were a messenger, what idea or truth was it shining light on?
For this week's Mini Mama Mindfulness Moment over on the Owning Your Goodness Facebook page, I went live to talk more about befriending our uncomfortable or icky feelings. You can watch the replay here. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
May peace be with you and if the ick comes knocking, may it shine light on a helpful truth.
