Emotional Chaos: When Your World Crumbles
There are times when the only things we see clearly in our life are stress and disharmony. We find it difficult to come out of the darkness because we don’t understand what is happening to us or how to deal with it. These are times when emotional chaos reigns in our daily lives.
Our world is crumbling before us and we don’t know what to do. We shout “enough is enough!” but because of the confusion, our uncertain future and our past mistakes, we settle into this situation.
It’s as if the only shadows on the wall are frustration and discomfort. However, there is a way to deal with this emotional chaos.
We’ll show you what to do about this situation, explain its features, and tell you why it’s good to be aware of this issue.
Emotional chaos: what is it?
It is this state of depression and confusion linked to our emotions. Most of the time, we associate it with suffering, especially when we don’t know what to do with problems. But be aware that emotional chaos is not always like this. It can also refer to those times when we are overcome with positive emotions that we cannot manage.
So this is a time when we don’t quite know what is happening to us. We experience various emotions but do not know how to identify or express them. Emotional chaos also includes not knowing how to deal with what is going on, even if we are able to analyze it properly.
In other words, as David Solá, psychologist and author of the book From Emotional Chaos to Inner Peace suggests , in emotional chaos we find a contradiction between the rational and emotional world that makes us lose control and guides our behavior. through impulses.
Characteristics of emotional chaos
Emotional chaos is often defined by the following attributes:
- Disorder. Emotions are no longer under our control. Some appear, which we did not know, and push us to adopt unwanted behaviors.
- Confusion. The lack of clarity leads us to wonder about our decisions. So we tend to put them off until later.
- Fear. We are afraid of making mistakes because we are not sure of ourselves. It is thus an emotion which generates a disorder projected towards the future.
- Regret. This feeling of guilt makes us distress. It therefore generates a disorder projected towards the past.
- Projection. We believe it is an external problem, we make others – or our emotions – guilty.
Emotional chaos can be associated with emotional blockage. The latter refers to when we protect ourselves to survive a certain situation.
At first, it may be a way of backing us up. However, when it remains present in our subconscious and when we do not process it, we can end up not knowing how to handle it. In the future, when we no longer need to protect ourselves, all the emotions associated with this situation may arise and invade us.
It can also be associated with going through a new situation, a situation so invasive that it ends up paralyzing our decision-making.
How to deal with emotional chaos in a positive way?
To begin with, as David Solá suggests, you have to know that in the midst of emotional chaos, it is difficult to make decisions and recompose what has been broken down. However, it is possible to manage it in a positive way:
- Through self-knowledge. Connecting with our being is the best way to find out what is happening to us, to know the causes of this reaction and to discover the path we want to take. It will help us deal with emotional chaos.
- Give space to emotional chaos. We want to get away from it so much that we always push it away and accumulate sensations that make it amplify. It’s better to accept the idea that this chaos can befall anyone and give ourselves a moment to let it go.
- Do not make this chaos last. While it is true that letting emotions flow is extremely important, it should not be done “forever”. We must not get stuck. It is essential to move forward: it will allow us to set limits to emotional chaos.
- It does not all come from the outside. If it is about our chaos, it is quite simply because it is linked to our being. Let’s stop blaming others.
- Know where to express this chaos. It is important to talk about how we feel, but we need to be assertive when doing so. Not all places are suitable. Some might even make it worse. We must therefore look for a place where we can express ourselves quietly and freely.
- Ask for help. Too often we are ashamed of saying “I need help”. However, it is normal to need support. We can contact our relatives or, if we deem it necessary, consult a professional. A psychologist will be a good guide on this path.
- Do not follow certain teachings to the letter. We sometimes blindly follow certain family or social beliefs. However, this situation only makes us stress more. It’s healthier to recognize which ones really get us things and which ones lead us to frustration. By doing this, we can learn from it and avoid falling into another emotional chaos.
Getting physical can also help. Thanks to it, we release certain hormones and certain neurotransmitters which generate a feeling of well-being in us. Another aspect that can help us turn emotional chaos into harmony is performing an activity. Art, for example, helps us transform our anxieties.
Why is it beneficial to be aware of our emotional chaos
Paying attention to our emotional chaos will allow us to be more assertive. We will also experience other advantages, such as:
- Release tension
- See the value of each emotion
- Let go of what hurts us
- Live the here and now
- Know our limits
- Know what our defense mechanisms are
- Transform our anxieties into creativity
- Emotionally free yourself
- Have a greater capacity for decision-making
- Self-realization
The process is gradual. Our degree of control is obviously not going to increase substantially overnight. On the other hand, this does not mean that we will never experience emotional chaos in our life again. Like any human being, we will have ups and downs. But the most important thing is to learn from each situation!
It is possible to step out of the shadows of disorder, fear, confusion or guilt. So, we just have to learn to dance with them, get to know them, invite them out at the right time and gradually transform them into well-being.
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