Rebecca Frustration and Anger

Hello CWW community!

The other day, Rebecca commented to her husband KC that being a “Super Feeler” was exhausting, especially when you’re prone to negative emotions like anxiety. 

When Your Feelings Are Your Filter

When you’re filtering everything through your feelings, your body is constantly being hijacked by low level cortisol. Even if it is sub-perceptual, it is likely causing a cascade of physiological reactions that can be tiring to the body.

Are You Talking About Opinions?

When Rebecca described this sense of experiencing everything through her feelings to KC (who is solidly a "Thinker" on the Myers Briggs), he replied with genuine confusion, “What do mean? Like opinions?!” 

That's What a Thinker Would Say!

Rebecca burst out laughing, realizing that he was such a Thinker that emotions were more like thoughts to him, detached from his identity, like contemplations, and that he could not possibly relate to the experience that Super Feelers have that they ARE their emotions. 

Rebecca-The Feeler

KC The Thinker

Detaching From Feelings

This is why those of us who are Super Feelers need techniques to help us detach from our emotions, to cultivate a sense of self that can observe but not be consumed by the part of ourselves that is having a powerful emotion. 

Getting a Reprieve From Being Overly-Identified with Our Feelings

We develop this more neutral stance so that we can get some reprieve from being completely identified with our emotions, especially if they are negative ones. It’s not that these emotions are bad, it’s just that we don’t want to get stuck in them otherwise they begin to wear on the body and skew our perceptions.  

Techniques for Managing Overwhelming Feelings

We suggest a couple of techniques to help manage feeling overwhelmed and being overly identified with our feelings. They work for Super Feelers or anyone who is feeling overtaken by negative emotions.

1)   Make a Symbol for Your Observing Self

At a time when you are not feeling overwhelmed, imagine a part of yourself that is separate from your feelings and create a symbol for that “Observing Self”. You are visualizing a detached part of yourself that will be witnessing the other part of you that has strong feelings. This Observing Self can begin to cultivate “mindfulness” (non-judgmental awareness) toward the other part.

Rebecca's Symbol of Observing Self

2) Express the Feelings

When you're overcome with strong feelings, they need to be expressed. Don't try to suppress them. “Expressive” activities can include things like making marks to capture the emotion, bilateral scribble drawings, movement (getting up and dancing to rhythmic music), spill writing (stream of consciousness writing for 10-20 minutes). The point is to tap into the feeling and give it a way to come out. It usually starts off as a sense of “venting” but then it often transforms as the feeling gets "metabolized", processed, and its grip lessens. 

Rebecca's Non-Dominant Hand Scribble

Frustrated and Angry

3) Combine or Add Observing Self Symbol to the Emotions Drawing

After you’ve spent some time expressing the feeling, consider making another piece of artwork in which you include both the symbol of the Observing Self and marks that represent the powerful emotion. Notice how they are interacting.

4) When You're Upset Bring Symbol of Observing Self to Mind

When you're experiencing strong emotions, try to bring to mind the symbol you made of your Observing Self and imagine that part of you detaching from the emotion and watching yourself having the experience. Continue to engage in the exercises above to build that capacity to detach.

Click here to see Rebecca's illustration of this technique of drawing her Observing Self and Frustrated and Angry interacting and for more on managing strong feelings.

With feeling :), Rebecca and Gioia



PS. Don't Forget to VOTE: It is Your Right. If You Don't Care About The Presidential part and want to abstain, don't forget that there are usually measures on the ballot that are also about laws being passed. Your voice matters. Exercise and preserve your right to use it!

Our Last Ethics Training of the Year Sunday, Nov 10, 2024 Positive Ethics

For therapists needing to fulfill their Ethics Continuing Education requirements:

Positive Ethics: Strengths in Action

Sunday, November 10, 2024 10-5 pm ET

$190/6 CECs

In this dynamic and engaging workshop, we will use art making, writing, action methods, client vignettes, and dialogue to define and explore what it really means be “strengths-based” practitioners – and what that looks like in action. From the science of character strengths and learning to effectively use and cultivate strengths in ourselves and our clients to the ethical considerations in understanding the relationship between our values and strengths, this highly experiential workshop will provide you with the research and applications you need to truly – and ethically - be “strengths-based”.

OUR LAST CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAINING IN 2024

Positive Ethics: Strengths in Action

Sunday, November 10, 2024 10-5 pm ET

6 CECs. $190

CELEBRATE THE ARTISTS YOU KNOW!

Go visit Rebecca's artist website at www.RebeccaWilkinson.com

ENJOY REBECCA'S COLORING BOOK!

NOW 20% off! Just $20

Coloring Creates Wellbeing: The Desert Mandalas Coloring Book

30 circular mandala designs showcasing the magical flora and fauna of the Arizona Sonoran desert. Relax, reduce your stress, and get into flow.  Includes an introduction on the benefits of coloring and suggestions for ways to color.  Absolutely no artistic experience needed.

• 30 Unique Coloring Designs $26
• Spiral Bound so pages lie flat
• Larger 10 x 10 inch format  
• Printed on heavier one-sided paper
• No bleed through 

Order Coloring Creates Wellbeing: The Desert Mandalas Coloring Book! Read about the therapeutic benefits of coloring here.  

LEARN MORE ABOUT POSITIVE ART THERAPY!

Positive Art Therapy Theory and Practice: Integrating Positive Psychology

Invaluable for anyone looking to apply

the most current theory/research on positive psychology and art therapy to their practice and/or their life! For faculty who might want to adopt this as a textbook, we added thoughtful discussion questions, a robust glossary, and useful lists of strengths and values.

• 282 pages
• 19 Color Illustrations
• Use Code ADC22 at this link for 30% off
• 80 of our favorite positive AT directives!

For more details or to request a copy for review please contact: 

Jean Pierre Jacome, Marketing Assistant

Creative Wellbeing Workshops | Website