Dear <<First Name>>,
I wanted to share some resources with you. I’ve been hearing from a lot of clients that they are feeling drained right now. Stopping to take care of ourselves, to rest deeply in a way that refills us, is often the last thing on our to-do list. Here are some ways you can pause and restore your energy.
Struggling with our emotions can also sap our energy. I heard an interview with Karla McLaren, a social science researcher and author who encourages us to befriend our emotions, listen to what they’re trying to tell us, and learn how to channel them so we gain greater insight and energy.
Here are some questions Karla provides that you can ask of different emotions, so you can begin to dig in and understand what they’re trying to tell you. She places 17 emotions into the following four families:
- Anger has to do with boundaries, rules and behaviors. The questions you can ask when you feel anger include: What do I value? What must be protected and restored?
- Sadness has to do with stopping, letting go, and recovering. The questions you can ask when you feel emotions in the sadness family, include: What must be released? What must be rejuvenated?
- Fear has to do with instincts, intuition, orienting and action. The questions you can ask when you feel emotions in the fear family include: What actions should be taken? What truly needs to get done?
- And happiness helps you look to the future with contentment and joy. Rather than questions, she offers statements of gratitude, which include: Thank you for this wonderful moment!
I love this model of emotional inquiry because it doesn’t judge the emotions or simply try to repress the ones that are inconvenient. Rather, it supports us gaining awareness and insight so that we can channel our emotions in a way that honors who we are and what we’re seeking to do.
To be empowered and engaged in realizing our vision and our values, while making a positive difference for those we love, we must understand how to listen to our emotions, rather than run from them. And to keep going, we need to to pause, rest deeply and recharge.
warmly,
-Sande
P.s. When I found myself feeling drained and hopeless after listening to disheartening news stories, I sat down and wrote myself this poem: I will not give up.
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