The rainbow of emotions

So I was having a “bad” day. So what, I hear you say – we all have them! And “bad” is relative…it doesn’t happen me too often, so it feels somewhat unfamiliar to me – usually I have a pretty positive and resilient mindset.

I was experiencing a lot of sadness, frustration and regret, and some worry too – and I was lucky that I was able to give myself some time and space to really notice what was going on.

I am usually action-oriented, so sitting with something can be difficult. But I took some actions that day to help myself – I went for a walk, tried to stay curious about what was going on and why I was feeling this way; I also used an online mindfulness exercise and I came to a realisation.

I had been having problems with my shoulder for a while, going to physiotherapy and pilates. The physiotherapist recommended some acupuncture and this made an amazing difference to releasing the frozen shoulder. My realisation was a strong sense that my emotional state on the following day was connected with the release in my shoulder, and that something had definitely changed or shifted in me; I just needed to allow it to happen and tell myself to be ok with the discomfort.

I had some appointments with clients lined up over the next couple of days, and funnily enough three clients contacted me to reschedule for later dates – it’s amazing how sometimes life can offer us just the space and time we need to recharge and refocus.

The reminders here for me are how much mind and body are interconnected, and that we need to look after our whole selves, and that we have to experience the whole rainbow of emotions rather than just labelling them as positive or negative, or pushing away the ones we don’t feel comfortable with.

My experience was a relatively fleeting one, for those people who struggle with many difficult days I hope they can find the courage to trust others who can support them, and try little things, like walking, talking, writing  to help take good care of themselves inside and out. We are all only human and doing the best we can with what we’ve got today.