I used to think emotions like joy and love are good and emotions like sadness and anger are bad.
Now I believe that how I choose to react to my emotions is what's good or bad. It's bad when I'm so
pre-occupied by mental chatter that I let moments of joy fly past me unnoticed. It's good when I stop what I'm doing and take a few seconds to appreciate when I'm happy. It's bad when I rerun upsetting episodes in my head. It's good when I use anger to propel me towards a solution.
IF I could go back and tell my younger self to stop running mental tapes that upset me, I doubt it would make any difference. First, when I was young I had the tremendous energy it takes to sustain emotional drama. Second, being snubbed recently reminded me of how intense emotions can be. Emotions can feel so real that they seem unstoppable.
A stroke took away the energy I need to stay upset for a long time. I was upset the day I was snubbed. By the next day -- not so much. By the third day I remembered that letting this person upset me gives her power. By the fourth day I remembered I was upset for decades but can no longer remember most of what upset me. Hence the irritating platitude -- this too shall pass. My heart doesn't get to choose which emotions I experience, but I've learned that how I react to those emotions is a conscious choice. My stroke has both taken away and given.
Right on!
ReplyDeleteYou used my favorite phrase, "This too shall pass". It is powerful and has helped me remember there is an end to everything and everything shall have a new beginning.
ReplyDeleteYou have learned some powerful lessons. I like to think I know that "letting this person upset me gives her power", yet putting practice into knowledge is beyond where I admit I am at times.
You are very wise. Thanks for sharing these lessons with us. I am glad to see the positive side of your stroke.
One of my daughters commented recently that I still have a lot of emotional lability as a result of my brain injury.
ReplyDeleteI told her that might be party true, but mainly I am choosing not to sit there keeping my mouth shut. What she is now hearing is all the stuff that I used to think and didn't choose to share with my then teenage daughter.
I actually do have a lot of work to do on learning how to react to strong emotions and criticism . This to shall pass is not my normal reaction.