Emotional Hygiene Techniques

Earlier this evening my daughter who is a month away from turning 13, casually relaxes next to me in my room and says, “I want to hear your life story”.

I stumbled over my emotions in that moment, stirring through for some courage.

Stumped for what to say I questioned her with “why would you say that to me? you know I am under enough pressure! What made you say that?”

She giggled protectively and repeated the statement, “what’s wrong? I want to hear your life story!”

“To survive, you must tell stories.” – Umberto Eco

What do you do to let emotions be expressed?

Most of us have now learned through trials and tribulations of the damage that can occur when we bottle up our feelings. It has to lead to addiction to escape the feeling. Depression and feeling lonely. It has lead to ending of relationships that were otherwise quite healthy. All simply because we held on to feelings, not knowing how to even feel them or express them to the people who matter the most.

Looking back we can consider this the price we pay for learning our lesson. Yet still, I shared an interest, like you, in developing a better way to deal.

As a healer it is my obligation, not only to clear old stale emotional debris from the space of my client, yet to also give her easy to do instructions for her to clean herself.

What do stories have to do with it?

I am never really interested in their stories. I simply do not rely on the past to tell me what is needed for the future. Even my own stories, I shamingly feel are worthless and full of dead energy.  Yet for that very reason, it seems that our stories make the best medicine for the emotional well-being of others.

So that brings me to the quote by Eco “To survive, you must tell stories.” which clearly triggers me to want to write more.

My intuition says “listen to this quote”.

My fears say, don’t hold on to stories about yourself.

The point of balance is to let go through the art of writing, sharing, blogging.

A key technique I have learned from outstanding artists of other mediums is to hold zero expectation of how my art is interpreted.

That is the same reason I forget my client’s stories. If I create an agreement and resonate with the pain of their stories, I will fail them as a healer.

So the 1st step to creating an emotional hygiene regimen for yourself is to let go of your story.

If it is your sob story, your life story, your creation story or your trauma story there is medicine in it.

If you are in the category of folks that love to tell their story then you know what that medicine is, it’s that pill you do want to swallow. The confronting of the possibility that your story itself is the poison.

If you are in that category of people that prefers to keep their story brief or independent of anything else you may possibly know about them then it may be a good idea to map that untold story out and engage with the medicine your life has taught you this far to dive a little deeper.

Creating an amazing life requires the examination of the benefits and beauty of refinement.  Never really getting too comfortable because the soul knows there are infinite more blessings to be shared.

Infinite Blessings,

Olivia Biera

Part 2 of Emotional Hygiene Techniques includes an exercise for more release of stale stagnant debris and energy.