Kaitlynn, thank you for these reflections this week. Something you wrote particularly stood out to me as a fellow over-feeler / empath / etc: "I found that considering and sitting with my feeling before assigning it meaning, or simply not assigning it any meaning at all, allowed me to see a situation objectively and not through the lens of past traumas and experiences.". I find this beautiful and intriguing - would you mind sharing what sitting with a feeling before assigning it meaning looks like for you? My over-analyzing self can't imagine being able to process a feeling without immediately interpreting it / assigning it that meaning and would love to understand how this looks for you.
When I sit with a feeling, I like to first think about what I know for certain: I know that this is a physical response, and I know where and how I feel it somatically. Surveying the body is a game-changer for me as it grounds me back into reality. I also like to remind myself that these feelings are instinctual responses that are trying to protect me. After I’ve located where I feel it in the body, I then identify exactly what it is – fear, anxiety, pain, anger, envy, etc. Only after I’ve gotten very clear about this do I start thinking about how this reaction applies to my history.
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to read this! x
Kaitlynn, thank you for these reflections this week. Something you wrote particularly stood out to me as a fellow over-feeler / empath / etc: "I found that considering and sitting with my feeling before assigning it meaning, or simply not assigning it any meaning at all, allowed me to see a situation objectively and not through the lens of past traumas and experiences.". I find this beautiful and intriguing - would you mind sharing what sitting with a feeling before assigning it meaning looks like for you? My over-analyzing self can't imagine being able to process a feeling without immediately interpreting it / assigning it that meaning and would love to understand how this looks for you.
When I sit with a feeling, I like to first think about what I know for certain: I know that this is a physical response, and I know where and how I feel it somatically. Surveying the body is a game-changer for me as it grounds me back into reality. I also like to remind myself that these feelings are instinctual responses that are trying to protect me. After I’ve located where I feel it in the body, I then identify exactly what it is – fear, anxiety, pain, anger, envy, etc. Only after I’ve gotten very clear about this do I start thinking about how this reaction applies to my history.
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to read this! x