Each year there are 365 sunsets. How many of these do you actually sit and watch while doing nothing else?
If the number is small, why is that?
Why can’t we sit and do nothing but enjoy the beauty in nature?
Why do we feel guilty for not being productive in that moment?
Why…are we addicted to busy?
We believe it simply comes down to our emotions.
Not what you were expecting to hear? Let’s look deeper into why we have a difficult time slowing down, relaxing, and soaking in our environment.
Growing up, most of us are not taught how to sit with our emotions. We watch how our parents manage their own emotions to the best of their abilities and get little formal education on how to do it ourselves.
When we pair this lack of emotional coping skills with the fact that our brains are wired to avoid pain, we can be left running from our emotions when they get too complicated or worrisome to acknowledge and work through.
Rather than sit and be, we can find our brains are consistently trying to find something to stress about, to plan, to clean, to organize, and to work on. And in western culture, we have access to a plethora of distractions (yes, we are talking to you social media!) that allows us to run from these emotions. This can leave us stressed out in a faced paced society that encourages more, more, more whether that be in things we own, goals we accomplish, or money we make.
And what’s the effect?
Little time for sitting and watching those beautiful sunsets. Or anything else that allows us to just be.
Why are we scared of our emotions?
At the end of the day, we all want to be loved and feel worthy.
In a society that values the way we look, how much money we have, and what we have accomplished more strongly than who we are on the inside, it can seem like a never-ending race to feel accepted. And do we ever truly find authentic peace and happiness by trying to fit into a mold?
We can falsely feel that acceptance by feeding the need to always be producing, working, entertaining, cleaning, etc., leaving us exhausted and burnt out when the sun goes down.
The good news?
All of this clutter in our minds is an effect of conditioning by our culture. This means that we have learned to feel this way and also means that we can learn to un-feel this way.
We all have the ability to learn to sit and be with our emotions, have a healthy work/life balance, work through past traumas, and feel loved when doing nothing but sitting.
How do you do this?
One of the most powerful ways to work through your emotions in a healthy way is through acupuncture.
Acupuncture helps the brain to stop running from emotions and to begin feeling them. Specifically, it slows the brain by turning off its survival mechanism (think fight or flight), in order to feel safe enough to actually feel what’s keeping you from peace and calm.
Does it sound overwhelming? It can actually be a very comfortable and safe way to process emotions.
Acupuncture calms the nervous system and can help the brain think more clearly when it comes to working through stress, anxiety, and/or trauma. Talking about your feelings after a session or writing down your thoughts can bring clarity and insight into what you have been suppressing and allow you to freely feel without judgement.
As Dr. Graves says, “Acupuncture is like a massage for your brain.”
Pain and suffering is unavoidable. Sadness, anger, fear, and hurt are all part of this and no amount of money, no amount of accomplished goals, and no amount of running away from it will make it go away.
No matter if your suffering is starvation in a third-world country, a traumatic childhood, or even a tiff in your marriage, pain is pain – no matter the circumstance.
When we realize that pain and suffering can’t be avoided, we can learn to be mindful of it and process it in healthy and healing ways. And we can help you learn to do just that.
Are you suffering from suppressed or unresolved feelings? Have you not given that the attention that it deserves to be worked through?
Your emotions have credibility. Listen to them.
If you live in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Centennial, Parker, Larkspur, Monument, Colorado Springs, or the Greater Denver Metro area and would like to heal your emotional wounds, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (303) 688-6698 or click here to schedule a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Graves to talk about what you are dealing with and learn how acupuncture could help.
Is it time to start watching those sunsets more? Don’t let another year go by without enjoying them.
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