BE A BADASS at navigating your emotions

On my last yoga retreat, I jokingly shared with my students, "I have like 17 breakdowns a day."

Their jaws dropped.

I definitely had a moment, where the thought popped into my head, "uh oh, did I just destroy their trust in me, forever?" HA!

Honestly, I do have breakdowns of some capacity everyday. And, I don't think this is bad, something to work on, or a problem in any way. I actually think it's GOLD.

No, not because I'm a masochist (although, in other ways, maybe).

But because the truth is, our emotional trajectory throughout the day is like a wave, or a pendulum of some sort. AND, it is MEANT TO BE so.

The teacher I'm learning from right now, Kimberly Johnson, talks about this in terms of the nervous system: we actually pendulate from the parasympathetic system (rest) and the sympathetic system (GO). And, if we don't let ourselves pendulate, we will over do it on one end of the spectrum, and it will take a toll on the body.

Here's the thing: in order to have 17 breakdowns a day, do you know what, by default, must also be happening?

17 BREAKTHROUGHS.
Holy shit.
A DAY!!

Now...17 is definitely a number I just made up...that's is probably likely definitely an exaggeration. But I don't think that takes away from the point that - when I was emotionally unstable, I had 0-1 breakdowns a day. But how many breakthroughs?

.....

Crickets.

Now, let me tell you about my past. I remember a time when...

  • my emotions RULED EVERYTHING

  • my doubts were SO REAL

  • If I was having a bad day, nothing could be good

  • I beat myself up for not being good enough...a lot

  • I carried SO much SHAME for being "too emotional", so I hid it as much as I could, but was never okay

  • I ate to make myself feel better (but actually worse, because I hated that I did that)

  • I went through spurts of high energy, only to have really big crashes (because I really LOVED high intensity everything)

  • I HATED my body

  • my concern with what other people were thinking of me was so STRESSFUL that I could hardly hear my own self

Now, to this day, I still have a lot of these feelings/tendencies/experiences. But they are NOT the same.

Here's why:
I WENT TO WORK to understand my emotions.
I DOVE IN to myself, and began to understand what it actually means to be ME, and to be HUMAN.

And there are two big parts to this:
1) I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS. I discovered quickly that the emotions I was experiencing are universal, I just wasn't as good at hiding them.
2) I am particularly sensitive/mushy/emotional, and that doesn't mean I'm worse, it actually just means I get to be ME, instead of what is expected of me. I have a knack for knowing what's true.

Now?

  • My emotions are there, and I GET TO FEEL THEM, and PROCESS THEM FULLY- but they don't make my decisions. They don't even govern my speech or my body language.

  • My doubts chime in, and I take breaks to hear them out or work through them - but I KNOW they are not real.

  • I never have a "bad day", only tough moments.

  • I am so aware and in tune with my need to be "good enough", that I don't battle. I don't hate myself for it. I let the frustration flow through me, but it doesn't define me, or make up my life.

  • Same with shame.

  • Same with eating.

  • I ultimately have the POWER to direct my life in TRUTH, and in LOVE with who I actually am, at each moment. Something, I could not do without this emotional intelligence.

And you know what else? Not only do I have 17 breakthroughs a day, but I guide others to THEIR breakthroughs.

In fact, I am a FUCKING WIZARD at helping people (myself included) untangle the web of emotions, and get to real truth, and growth.

And why does this matter?
Because, understanding, unraveling, and processing emotions is
THE ONLY WAY to live fully.
It is THE ONLY WAY to live in TRUTH and LOVE.
It is THE ONLY WAY to be POWERFUL in your life.

If you want to be able to have a say in how your life goes - you've GOT TO do this work. And I am here, to hold the space for you, to alleviate shame and judgement, and to guide you through the safe and complete processing of emotional block.

How?

GET CONNECTED.
1-on-1 Coaching for Sensitive Women.

You already know.

I have a few spots THIS WEEK for FEELER CALLS. These calls are completely free, and are essentially a sample session. We get to know each other, and work through a bit of what you're dealing with, so we can decide, TOGETHER, how to move forward. I am in SUPPORT of you, truly.

Reply to this email with questions, comments, or shares.
I love you dearly.
Xoxo,
Jessie

Jessie Levine