Photo by Punchup
We are all familiar with the laboured thinking that comes with having a late night, the sugar low after a heavy lunch, and of course the headache that comes courtesy of enjoying one too many glasses of red wine the night before. We expect them, and we weather the physical symptoms, knowing that they will pass and exactly what caused them.
But did you know that these late nights, heavy lunches and red wine sessions play a large part in our emotional state too? Being tired, hungry, hungover (or all of the above!) can rob our emotional resources, making us far more likely to go to War over the most trivial things. Yet often we don’t recognise the cause of our negative feelings, blaming our boss, partner or whoever gets in our way for ‘making’ us angry.
There’s an advert for Snickers which illustrates this beautifully: Joan Collins, in full Dynasty mode, is being bossy and demanding in a changing room. Someone hands her a chocolate bar, saying ‘you’re such a diva when you’re hungry’. She takes a bite, and transforms into a more reasonable football player.
Maybe chocolate isn’t the ideal answer, but the fact is that being emotionally resourceful is difficult if our most basic physical needs are not being met. It’s hard to be at Peace in a stressful situation at the office if we’re not even at Peace with our bodies! So the age-old prescription is the same: plenty of sleep, eating well and keeping hydrated can strengthen our emotional resources, enabling us to deal with conflict situations more easily.
What about other ways of feeding our emotions?
In the same way as late nights and boozy lunches, things such as gossip, trashy television, clutter or mindlessly spending hours on social media can sap our mental energy. The good news is that this is simple to reverse by finding activities that leave you feeling great. It doesn’t matter whether it’s dancing, losing yourself in a good book or playing with pets: if it uplifts you, it’s fuelling your resource tank. Spending time with people you find easy-going and positive and sharing your interests with others adds to the benefits.
So if you find that you are often at War, notice what you are feeding yourself both physically and emotionally. Do you get irritated and edgy with your colleagues when you arrive at the office, for example? Notice what you had for breakfast, if anything. What time did you hit the sack last night? And how strong is that coffee? Tweaking the input that you are feeding yourself could affect the output of how you deal with the situation that is irking you. Even if you’re not on a good emotional ‘diet’, you can still ‘snack’ if you feel low on resources: listen to a comedy podcast on the commute home to offset a stressful day, eschew the reality TV in favour of a good book, or go for a run with your favourite music blasting through your headphones. You may just find you don’t have that weekend argument with your partner as a result.
Over to you
Notice whether the activities you do regularly are fuelling or draining your emotional resources. What could you change that would benefit your state of mind?
Make a playlist of uplifting music; create a Pinterest board of inspiring images; batch cook some delicious healthy meals to eat midweek: think of things that will give you a boost and leave you feeling resourceful.
Do you know someone who could benefit from War to Peace?
If you know someone who would benefit from learning how to get themselves into an emotionally resourceful state and deal with conflict in their life, we are running our next open-access War to Peace workshop in London on Friday 28 February (only 1 space left). To book your space, click here.
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How are you feeding your emotional state?
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©Halcyon Global 2014
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