Emotion Daily Clean-Up
Another thing that can help us catch our triggers on a daily basis
(so they don't pile up) is a daily emotion clean-up.
This is a top-down approach.
Strong negative emotions are a sign that we are triggered (limbic activation).
Identifying the emotion can lead us to the story, which can lead us to the anchor.
At a consistent time each day, I carve out some time to reflect and ask:
- Did I feel any negative emotions today (or in the past 24 hours)?
- Anger, Resentment, Rage, Irritation, Annoyance?
- Grief, Sadness, Hurt?
- Fear, Worry, Anxiety, Terror, Dread?
- Guilt?
- Shame?
- Embarrassment?
- Envy, Jealousy?
- Judgmentalness, Criticism, Compare & Despair?
- Blame?
- If so, why? What happened? What was I upset about?
- What is my Story about this situation?
- Is it true?
- How do I know it's true? Where is the proof?
- If it is true, who cares? How important is it?
- What is my Self-Centered Survival Fear in this situation?
- What does this situation remind me of?
- Is there a pattern?
- I plug the emotion, the pattern or some aspect of the story into a neutralizing technique.
- What was the anchor?
- What is my New Story about what happened in the past?
- What is my New Story about the present situation?
I like to do the first 6 steps of this process in the evening,
reflecting on my day before going to sleep, while it is all still fresh in my mind.
The next morning I do the rest of the steps.
For some people, it works best to do the whole thing in the morning or in the middle of the day,
when they naturally find themselves in a reflective mood.