There is a time for showing emotions -- and all emotions are okay to show because all emotions are okay.  Our emotions are a part of us. Last weekend was a big day of  taking pause, remembering, being angry, and perhaps, depending on your circumstances, protesting.  Friends and family of mine took part in the No Kings protests, and I thought of them and prayed for them from afar. For me it was a day of hope and anger and prayer.

One of the reactions to “YesterDay” could be anger and frustration because you feel hopeless or that justice has not been served. Another reaction could be fear: fear of friends, family (or yourself) getting arrested. Even tears could be a response: tears of hope and joy over the turnout or tears of remembrance for what once was, a kinder and gentler era. For me, I am frustrated, hopeful and sad all at once. I have shed a lot of tears of late.

Sometimes we are triggered. Stress and certain situations can trigger us. Sometimes the triggers come from childhood, or we want to protect ourselves.

This is where the infamous fight, flight, freeze or faun reactions come from.

Yesterday I watched a few triggered people react and , although it is not fun, it can help us learn about ourselves and do better next time.

I was also triggered and was able to keep calm and process it later with a safe person. For that I am grateful.

You also have triggers.

The question is: are you able to process your triggers and how do you do it?

The first step is personal awareness.

How can I do what I teach and “preach”? As a coach and supervisor and as an educator with a Master’s in teaching, I “know” a lot. But do I practice what I know and how do I do it? What about you? Is there a disconnect between what you do and what you know (you should do)?

Last week at my Inter-Vision group discussed this topic, and we reminded ourselves that maturity is a life-long process. Hopefully, we are all better than yesterday and tomorrow we will be better still. We know a lot but practicing it is not always easy.

Let’s start with emotional regulation and integrity.

How can I manage my emotions?

Do my emotions have to do with resilience?

The short answer is yes. For better resilience, we need to manage our emotions better.

First we have to notice and name our emotions. With that awareness you are already half way there to better resilience.

KEEP AN EMOTION “Log Book”

In a crisis we can acknowledge the fear (which is NORMAL), lean in, decide what you can control, make a plan and be as ready as you can be

It’s a season where we think we should be grateful but what can we be grateful for?

There’s bad news all around starting with a continuing pandemic (now we have delta and omicron) and ending with wars and rumors of wars, famine, diseases (other than covid) and floods.

STOP, THINK, FEEL, REFLECT – and BE GRATEFUL.

When you are feeling up one moment and down the next, it could be the COVID situation. Here is a way to regulate your emotions.

Here are some tools to build your resilience using CBT.