“Relax and take a deep breath. No one else knows what they’re doing either.”
Ricky Gervais
Emotional Bandwidth (How Do I Get More Of It?):
Since emotional digestion is not something generally taught to us in our current society many people have weak “organs of the mind” and a whole heap of “undigested experiences”. What this means is that for most people the process of emotional digestion is hardest in the beginning and gets easier and easier with time.
In other words many people have a very small emotional bandwidth when they start the process and with each digested experience the bandwidth grows.
For this reason we want to treat the “organs of the mind” in the same way we would treat the physical body of someone who has been inactive for a long time and wants to start going to the gym. Going from couch potato to body builder overnight is not a sustainable way to improve the health of the physical body (high chance of injury and even if successful unlikely to be maintained long term).
Emotional bandwidth naturally increases the more you digest your experiences so the best practices to help in this process are simply giving yourself the time, space, and security you need to be able to do this on a daily basis.
Best Practices:
- Start by setting aside 10-15 minutes everyday to practice emotional digestion. This can be as simple as setting an intension every morning to take the 5 minutes needed to pause what your doing when your emotionally triggered and digest the experience before getting back to work. Do this 2-3X a day and you will start to see results in weeks to months.
- You could also take that 10-15 minutes to practice “awareness cultivation” as a meditation and digest any emotions that come up during that time.
- Take time to relax while still staying present with your current situation. Go for a walk, sit in the park, go to the spa, draw, knit, make a good meal. For best results try rest and repose activities rather than binge watching TV and playing video games (although these are also beneficial so do them if they call to you!)
- Life triggers us plenty without looking for challenges so when needed (for a period of time) it can be beneficial to take a step back from challenging relationships, challenging situations, and in general being out of your comfort zone. (note that you do need to step outside your comfort zone eventually to digest what is needed but it can be done at a gradual pace.)
- The right food at the right time can really help keep energy moving or calm things down; try these tricks:
- If energy feels “stuck” (tight muscles, stiff neck, tension in the belly, etc.) try more raw vegetables, vinegars, and small amounts (when appropriate) of caffeine.
- If energy feels “revved up” (overly emotional, on edge, jumpy, etc.) try raw cocao, meats, and seafoods.
- If energy feels “drained” (exhausted, fatigued, lack of creativity, etc.) try sweet foods such as honey, fruit, dates, and figs. Brown rice and mushrooms are also great.
- Balance exercise with rest
- If energy feels “stuck” get moving! hike, run, dance, try yoga, go for a swim!
- If energy feels “revved up” ground yourself by putting your feet on the earth or in the water.
- If energy feels “drained” take a nap! If you feel sleepy then you need sleep but it’s also very beneficial just to lay quietly in your hammock or curl up with a good book.
Up Next: A Review Of Happiness And Aliveness