Supporting Big Emotional Processing
Our nervous system’s are always working to recognize, assess, adapt, and process everything (and everyone) we’re encountering at every given moment. However, we don’t often consciously know about that.
When we experience really big emotions, like shock, grief, shame, betrayal, or fear our bodies produce a surge of energy. Once the experience is relatively over, and if we are relatively okay, that energy needs to “be used” or distributed so it does not get “stuck” in our system’s. That excess energy is often turned into some interesting physiological experiences. However, we may not recognize these bodily sensations as related to the preceding emotional upheaval. We may think we are just tired or perhaps coming down with the flu.
Below, Michelle talks about how her awareness and knowledge of nervous system functioning helped her recognize she was not getting sick with a fever and chills but was in fact processing a big emotional experience she had the night before.
Why would we want to be able to recognize this incredible physiological process? Well, quite simply so we do not try to stop it. As long as the experience is manageable and tolerable it is suggested that you allow the process to take its course.
Yawning, shivering, trebling, temperature changes, an urge to move or ground yourself should be supported to the best of your capacity or ability. Allowing yourself the time and space to process big emotions can support your body to experience a form of completion.
*This is for educational purposes only. This is not metal health treatment, psychiatric treatment, medical diagnosis or medical advice.
Audio Transcription:
Hi, welcome to Michelle's Musings. I wanted to tell you a quick story about something that happened to me over the week, and I think the goal for me sharing this with you is to continue to amplify the power of returning, to continue to exemplify how nervous system navigation begins with awareness. So during the week, I unfortunately had a really tough experience. I was met with a huge surge of emotions. It's a long story and certainly not necessary to go into, but it triggered a really powerful and somewhat nearly overwhelming experience of complexity and self-evaluation and just a ton of stuff.
I handled the immediate situation in a way that makes me very proud of myself, and I feel really filled with gratitude for all the work I've done over the years to have handled the situation in that, that way. But the aftermath there came so much emotional and physical upheaval. So while I was on the train going home, I kept feeling these waves of big physical emotions, tightness in my chest and over like a physical, a whole body heaviness and a feeling of extreme isolation, um, a retreat feeling. And it was pretty powerful. So I got home, I took some time and eventually talked about it. I prepped my husband by letting him know what I needed from him. Uh, and that was to say nothing <laugh>, and to not try to fix the situation, but to just simply give me a place, not just not try to fix it, but I don't think I couldn't handle any commentary or opinions or anything like that. So talking about it did help. And I continued to notice what was happening in my body as I was
Retelling the story. And, uh, it was definitely helpful, but the heaviness didn't really get alleviated. So I went to sleep that night, and not surprisingly, had very, very vivid dreams from a comp, you know, completely unrelated, but a time in my life in the past. And so the dreams were really vivid. I didn't sleep very well, and woke up the next day and started my day with a daily return, <laugh>, and then proceeded to go to work. And what was fascinating was during my workday, I could not stop shivering, and I couldn't stop yawning for hours.
I, my body couldn't settle. And while I was working during sessions, there was a, a kind of a continuous stream of yawning, and I had had to say a few times to those who I was working with that please, I'm just naming that I'm yawning a lot today. Um, is please just try your best to disregard it. It has nothing to do with you. It has to do with, um, just the physical state I'm in right now. And the shivering reminded me that I thought maybe I had a fever or maybe I was getting sick and probably a, you know, a couple of hours into the day. Although my office was chilly, it dawned on me that I was going through waves of, of energetic reorganization and discharge on a nervous system level. And shivering and shaking and yawning are clear signs of the body trying to end succeeding at processing big amounts of energy. And it was interesting to have taken it, it took a couple hours for me to realize what was happening. And thankfully I was able to allow it and I just allowed it. I didn't try to stop it. I didn't get a heater. Um, I kind of went with it, and I, so I'm telling you this story, um, and well just, if you have happen to have curiosity, to kind of ease that thankfully everything, um, has worked itself out, or rather, my body has built capacity for this challenging situation. Um, but,
Uh, just wanting to name that. So much of what we do here at Find the Shift is about that nervous system. Navigation and navigation requires us to be able to recognize where we are and notice what's happening. What are the, what's the situation. And in this case, this example, I was able to recognize that my body, my physical body was really doing a lot of work to process all of this. So I just wanted to name that and give you guys a little insight into some of the importance of doing this sort of work. So thank you so much for being here, and I hope this helps. Okay.
Remember, you exist.