Day 8 Day 8 Recognizing Emotions

Are you having success at recognizing the emotions connected to your pain? If you have, how do these emotions make you feel? If not, what do you think is preventing you from doing this?

Tough question for me ..... sometimes I "think" I recognize the emotions (a little easier after listening to Alan Gordon's audios), but I find that when I'm experiencing a TMS symptom, I try and attribute it to an emotion and something that could be bothering me at the time and I tend to "shut down". Or, if I'm reading a success video or even a general TMS video (like John Stossel's vid), I find myself crying, then clamming up. Stuffing the emotions down my throat. I'm pretty darn good at this, by the way. I managed to cover up (and still do) my anxiety from just about everyone except my immediate family members (over 35 years' worth). I'm wondering if it's the "perfectionist" personality keeping me from really expressing myself?

 

It is a trait of your personality LindaRK. As long as your pouring your emotions out in the journaling I don't know of any reason that you need to spill your anxirety out on anyone. I always journal when I get stressed. I too in the past repressed all my emotions and then like you I learned doing that was reason of repression. So to make a long story short. I journaled and exercised, meditated and soothed to calm down my Autonomic nervous System. Hope this helps.

Bless You

PS - Mindfulness meditation and focusing has been a main stay in my protocol.