Compassionate Conflict Resolution - Wk 2 Controlling Your Emotions

Meditation - Focus on your magic bowl of positive energy, not only can you allow that energy to flow over you and through you, you can use that energy to take you to any wonderful peaceful calm place that feels safe and relaxing for you.

I am going to describe a beach but you may not want to be on a beach and you can visualize being in the mountains or dessert  or on a safari or where ever brings you calm and peace. Slowly breath in the healing energy, feel the warmth flow over you. Begin to visualize where you are. Perhaps you hear the wind gently passing through the trees. Maybe you see fluffy clouds rolling by. A beautiful sunset with the stars coming out on one horizon while the yellow, pink and purple fill the other horizon. Slowly take a deep breath in and slow deep breath out. Breath in calm and peace. Allow yourself to release any stress and anxiety in your body. Just continue to breath and enjoy the image of the beach or whatever place you imagine.

React to - Quote from Ch 4

By choosing to do things that calm our spirit, we can learn to manage our emotions.

Managing our emotions doesn’t mean we have total control over them but it does mean if we can take steps to keep ourselves grounded (breath, stretch, take time out or whatever) we will be more likely to be able to stay in our compassionate selves.

Sometimes, even if we are our best most loving compassionate selves, we still won’t get the desired outcome but if we try our best to be kind and compassionate, we will get the best outcome possible and we get the satisfaction of knowing we were kind and compassionate and that feels really good.

Question came up, what if we keep doing that and the other person doesn’t change? Sometimes we have to set boundaries like “if you are not willing to talk to a therapist with me or go to AA or if you hit me again…” then you don’t stay with them. Some people are willing to change and some are not. It can be hard to know which is which.

When we see the world as essentially good, we see people as essentially good and its easier to be kind to ourselves and to others.

If we see the world as essentially broken and dangerous, we tend to see people that way as well and it becomes much harder to be kind to ourselves and others.

Love others well but first love yourself well. If you are not taking care of yourself and/or not doing what you need to do to feel safe then things are not likely to go well in any event.

Review - Listen, Repeat, Validate, Explore