You chose this path; you want to finish. When navigating storms along the way, how do you transform your fear and exhaustion, and succeed at “mind over matter?”
Overview of The Emotions Metaphor "Navigating Trails and Landmarks"
NOTE: The introduction is the same for each of the four intensities of the Navigating Trails and Landmarks metaphor. If you have already read it, you may want to click to skip.
Hi, my name is Karen, and in this series I help you to Locate, Describe & Transform™ (LDT™) the emotions that you have that interfere with your best decisions.
Your emotions present as images and metaphors, so each week I explore new imagery, always looking at it from four levels of emotional intensity: extreme, high, medium, and low.
This week’s metaphor is NAVIGATING TRAILS AND LANDMARKS, and while I was looking for imagery for this video, I found myself drawn to winter scenes, which is unlike me, because I’m not really a winter person. I’d much prefer it was warm and sunny all year round.
Four Emotion Intensities with Four Navigating Landmarks Images
- For extreme intensity, I’ve chosen an image of people impossibly trying to cross a frozen lake with the wind so strong that it’s pushing them back; they can barely even hold on to where they’re at.
- For high intensity, I’ve chosen a group of hikers in the winter on very frozen land with no particular path, but just following one in front of the other.
- For medium intensity, the navigation is happening by following footsteps.
- And for low intensity, I’ve chosen a clear blue sky, sunny day, following a trail that is well marked.
As we explore the four scenes, focus on transforming emotions that make your path more treacherous or challenging. Look for the positive landmarks, the simplest trails, and consider how, metaphorically or in reality, you might improve the trail to help guide other hikers.
In past videos, the focus has been transforming the image in order to transform your emotions [and leave or change the situation]. But it’s going to be about recognizing, with this video series, how you can transform your emotions while staying in the situation.
Navigating Storms: Extreme Intensity Emotions
If we look at the extreme intensity video, these are hikers who have actually chosen to be out on this frozen lake. And in fact, in a separate video, there is a group of them.
The wind is blowing so strongly, however, that for every step forward, they’re being thrown back three or four steps. They’re not making any progress at all. And I think the second video accompanying it speaks to what they chose to do: They chose to huddle and stay in one place.
So for a healthy transformation, the first thing is: If this image speaks to you as extreme intensity regarding some aspect of – or your entire – life, and you can’t change your life, how can you transform your emotions and be more accepting, more content within the situation?
The Storms Are Extreme Intensity But NOT Abusive
Now, let’s be clear. If there’s an abusive situation, a seriously unhealthy situation, these videos are not ever meant to address that extreme intensity of stress or conflict. That’s something that you need professional assistance with, or close people who can help you to change your life and to be safe.
What I’m talking about are the extreme intensity emotions that we have when we’re feeling trapped and can’t change something that we don’t like, but it’s not horrendous. It’s not harmful to us.
When Navigating Is Not (Yet) Fun!
So with that kind of idea in mind, what comes to mind for you in your life that this image would speak to? That’s the emotions that you’re going to want to transform.
You’re basically wanting to enjoy being in this extreme situation. After all, like these hikers, at some level, you have committed to it; you’ve chosen to be where you are.
Navigating Storms 101: "Do I Need To Keep Moving?"
When I look at this image representing life that is not going the way I want – one step forward, five steps back, freezing cold, blowing wind. I can’t control – the first thing I ask myself is:
“Do I need to keep on moving?”
If the answer is yes, then I need to imagine myself moving, possibly in this image, closer to the rocks, to get out of the strong wind.
If the answer is no, it’s healthiest to not keep on moving, then I need to create some sort of a shelter, and make myself feel safe and warm until the winds stop blowing so hard.
If I can’t get closer to the rocks, and if I can’t huddle down – if that’s not the healthiest image that comes to mind for transformation – then the reality becomes, I have to hunker down and just do it: just keep putting one step in front of the other, and figure out how to keep my body moving forward instead of backward.
Most importantly, I want to feel happy and positive about taking those steps.
Now, some adventures you don’t actually, even if you chose them, feel happy until the end, but you don’t want to be miserable during it. Otherwise, what was the point?
Navigating Storms: Transformation Example
On this particular adventure, I’m imagining the sun just warming me up.
- I’m ducking my head down to keep the wind out of my face.
- I’m planting my arms firmly
- I’m using my willpower to move me forward.
Basically, the transformation I’m looking for in my emotions in this one, isn’t about doing a lot of work to focus inward. It’s about saying, “Forget about that right now. Don’t focus on my emotions. Focus on the task and what I want to accomplish.”
I’m not the first to cross this lake. I’m not alone. I need to trick my brain into believing in this moment that I am, in fact, happy. Then I know that, when I get to my destination, I’ll be thrilled that I succeeded.
Navigating Trails and Landmarks: Closing
In this instance, Navigating Trails and Landmarks has been focused on trails that you’ve chosen to be on. Your imagery, your emotions, can be quite different if you’re someplace that you haven’t chosen to be. But the point here is that even if you’ve chosen it, you can still have intense emotions that need transformation, for you to continue on your healthiest path and make your healthiest decisions.
Stay positive as you keep going forward, and trust that your decisions will be healthy, will be positive, will be productive, will get you to where you’re going.
I respectfully acknowledge that this video was recorded on the traditional territory of Mi’kmaq people.
If you want more information on transforming negative emotions and the LDT™ – Locate, Describe & Transform™ – process, check out the books at theEATprogram.com.