Emotions: Enemy or Information?

This episode begins with an acknowledgment of what most of us are feeling these days: full of big emotions and deeply unsettled. Many of us are witnessing our relationships undergo profound shifts–some are even breaking apart.

Emotions are a powerful form of energy. Some of us might fear them, so we squash them down and avoid them. Others of us let them rip, giving very little thought to the potentially destructive impact our emotional reactions may have.

This is due to a tendency we each have–to identify with the thoughts and emotions we experience instead of the awareness that is witnessing them. We get caught in ego consciousness, misidentifying ourselves as the weather instead of the sky that holds it all.

But what if we could shift our perspective - just a little - and create some space for an alternative view? One that sees emotions as information instead of an enemy? This is what I endeavor to do throughout the episode. 

Although rooted in the work of Nonviolent Communication champion Marshall Rosenberg, I first came upon this teaching through the book Say What You Mean, written by meditation teacher and Nonviolent Communication trainer Oren Jay Sofer. And this reframing suggests that emotions provide information to us about whether or not our basic human needs are being met.

This is a profoundly empowering view of emotions. And it offers us a rich framework with which to sort out and process them in a way that leads to a more fulfilling life. Join me for this valuable conversation which concludes with a short fictional story I wrote about my own process of transforming my emotions from enemies to information.

 

SHOW NOTES: 

✦Oren Jay Sofer book - Say What You Mean: https://www.orenjaysofer.com/book-audio 

✦Bay Area Nonviolent Communication - List of Needs: https://baynvc.org/list-of-needs/

✦Bay Area Nonviolent Communication - List of Feelings: https://baynvc.org/list-of-feelings/

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Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 

Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.

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Please know that…

The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.