[Yuru-Vitamin | Habits of the Heart #04] You no longer need to persuade yourself with words. A way to gently let go of negative emotions using 'color' and 'bodily sensations'

Hello, this is "Yuru-Vitamin".

In our series so far, we have learned about the "types" of self-affirmation (Part 2) and explored the "roots" (causes) of those mental habits (Part 3).

Now that you understand the cause, you may be starting to feel that you no longer need to blame yourself by saying, "It's because I'm no good."

Well, today is finally a very important session where we move on to concrete "actions".

When negative emotions arise while you are working, such as "Oh, I failed again..." or "I'm still not good enough...", how can you escape that pain?

Have you ever had the experience of trying to force yourself to think positively by persuading yourself with words, only to end up feeling even more distressed?

What I am introducing today is a completely new approach to taking a break from fighting with words.

Let's try together a way to gently let go of those painful emotions using "color" and "bodily sensations".

1. Emotions are "movements of the heart," not "words"

When we feel down after making a mistake at work or feel anxious about human relationships, wordless, murky emotions swirl inside our hearts.

These are not logical things that can be analyzed with words, but rather something more like "movements of the heart that have their own will".

That is why, even if you try to persuade yourself with words saying, "I should think this way," your heart will not easily listen.

What is important is to change that state of mind directly and gently.

The key to doing that is "color" and "bodily sensations".

2. Three steps to letting go of emotions through "color" and "body"

This is not a method to force yourself to be positive. Please try it while relaxed, thinking of it as

kindness to yourself to make your painful feelings just a little more airy and light.

Step 1: Try feeling your current mood as a 'color'

The moment your heart feels heavy or you feel restless with anxiety while at work,

please stop trying to analyze it with words like, 'Why am I feeling this way?'

Instead, just ask yourself this in your heart:

If I were to give this current feeling a color, what color would it be?

Dark blue, gray, a yellowish-brown... anything is fine.

There is no right answer. Just vaguely imagine the color that your heart is feeling exactly as it is.

By doing just that, you are no longer being swallowed by the whirlpool of emotions, but are instead standing on the side of observing them objectively.

Step 2: Observe the 'physical sensations' when you feel that color

Next, while keeping that 'color' in your mind, let's turn your consciousness toward your body.

Then, ask yourself this:

When I feel this color, how does my body feel?

• My shoulders feel heavy like stone...

• My chest feels tight and constricted...

• My breathing has become shallow, and there is tension in my eyes...

Again, there is no need for any judgment of good or bad.

Just 'notice' the current state of your body.

Let's gently confirm that your mind (color) and body (sensations) are properly connected.

Step 3: Try changing that 'color' just a little bit

Finally, this is the most powerful step.

Using the power of your imagination, try changing the 'color' you have in your mind just a little bit.

The biggest point here is to never force it.

• You don't have to try to turn a dark blue into a rainbow color all at once.

• To start, 'maybe I'll add just a little more transparency' is enough.

• If it's a gray close to lead, imagine, 'maybe I'll mix in a little more white to make it a lighter gray.'.

And, along with the change in color, quietly savor how your bodily sensations change. As the color becomes a little brighter, your shoulders, which felt as heavy as stone, might become just a little lighter. Your chest, which felt constricted, might suddenly loosen.

If you can feel this 'slight' change, it's a great success.

You were able to change your state of mind using your own power, without borrowing the power of words.

Relaxing Vitamin's note

I myself have been helped many times by this method of 'letting go of emotions through color and body' when I experienced unreasonable things at work.

For example,

• When I did exactly as my senior told me, but was later reprimanded by my boss for that method.

• When you've made a customer happy, but a colleague later criticizes how you handled it.

At times like that, my heart fills with an indescribable sense of unease.
It's painful toblame myself,

thinking, 'Should I have done it differently?' On the other hand, forcing myself toaffirm myself,

saying, 'No, I did a good job,' doesn't feel right either. Of course, I don't want toblame someone else,thinking, 'That person is in the wrong,' even more.

The more I think about it in words, the more I get stuck in a loop with no exit...
At times like that, I decide to stop'solving it with words'for a moment.

And then, I simply and quietly'describe'the unease currently in my chest.

First, I ask myself in my heart.
'If I were to express this current feeling in a color, what would it be?'

'Let's see...a dark blue,perhaps?'
'No, I feel like there's somegraymixed in.'
'Maybe there's even somedull greenin there too...'

In this way, I simply unravel the complex colors in my heart, one by one.

And along with that color information, I gently observe myphysical stateas well.

'I feel like it's hard to stand for some reason...'
'It feels like my chest is being pressed by something...'
'My breathing might be shallower than usual, too...'

Once you've felt that much, next, try changing the'color' you expressed to a color you like.

'Let's see... maybe I'll make the green a bit stronger.'
'If I'm going to do it, I want to try making it a brighter green.'
'Lime green would be nice. I used to like this color.'

After bringing a color you like to mind in this way, try turning your attention to your body once more.

'Oh... I feel like the tension in my shoulders has eased a little.'
'My eyes might feel more relaxed than before.'
'Remembering a color I liked, maybe the corners of my mouth have lifted just a little...'

A trivial change is fine. A small change that only you can notice.
That is the most important sign of all.

Even if the 'facts' in front of you do not change, a positive change has already certainly begun inside of you.

This time's 'Let's try this tomorrow'

How did you find these three steps?
For today's exercise, let's start by getting used to Step 1.

Tomorrow, if you feel a sense of unease or restlessness while at work, try asking yourself in that moment, 'What color is this right now?'

You don't have to try to change the color or observe your bodily sensations.

First, just let your heart get used to the new habit of perceiving your emotions as 'colors'.

That will be a wonderful first step toward becoming free from the assumption that you must solve everything with words.

Thank you for reading until the end.

Your heart can become lighter at any time through the power of your imagination.
Please, never forget that.

Next time, we will focus a little more on the 'bodily sensations' that we touched on briefly this time.

I will introduce a simple exercise to gently loosen up your body, which has become stiff from desk work, and lighten your heart along with it.

See you in the next article.