Psychohygiene
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
A simple everyday tool to help relieve emotional exhaustion and release the heavy burden that accumulates over time and prevents us from breathing freely.
Emotional Diary Technique
The purpose of this exercise is to develop the ability to identify your sensations and emotions, differentiate them, and build a stable connection with your emotional world. Without this connection, it is impossible either to let go of negative emotions or to manage them effectively.
“I don’t want to!” or “I don’t have the emotional resources to do something right now.”
Duration: minimum 15 days
Materials: A notebook and a pen (you may also use electronic devices, although handwriting is preferable)
Recommended for:
✓ Those who want to learn how to manage emotions, experience stress, depression, emotional pain (sadness, grief, fear), but cannot determine the reasons behind them.
✓ People with childhood subconscious beliefs such as:
“showing emotions is not normal”(“don’t cry,” “don’t be afraid,” “boys don’t cry,” “pull yourself together,” “stop being dramatic,” etc.)
These beliefs may show up through thoughts like:
“I don’t allow myself to be weak,”“crying is embarrassing,”“if you laugh too much, you’ll cry later,” etc.
✓ Those currently attending psychotherapy sessions.
✓ Those who want to develop emotional intelligence and bring more creativity into life and problem-solving.
The Exercise
Throughout the day, make 3–12 short notes about the emotions you experience using the following structure:
When... (something happened) …
I noticed... (physical sensations in the body and where they appeared)
And I felt… (the name of the emotion)
After writing, say to yourself out loud (or silently if necessary):
“I feel… (name of the emotion).”
One entry should fit into a single sentence.
Examples:
— When my husband shouted at me about dinner, I felt a hot lump in my throat and heat rising to my eyes, and I felt hurt.(say to yourself: “I feel hurt.”)
— When I lost my keys, I felt strong tightness in my chest and tension like a knot in my stomach, and I felt fear and anxiety.(“I feel fear.”)
— When I saw Marina crying, I felt emptiness in my chest and pain in the back of my head, and I felt… I cannot name this emotion exactly, but I would call it hopelessness.(“I feel hopelessness.”)
Do not focus on detailed descriptions. Pay more attention to sensations and emotions.
Both positive and negative emotions and experiences should be recorded.
How to Describe Physical Sensations
– Where in the body?(stomach, legs, arms, chest, neck, throat, head, etc.)
– Is it tense or relaxed? Heavy or light? Cold or warm? Dark or bright? Free or constrained?
You can also describe sensations through imagery:
“like a stone in my heart with a sharp edge”, “like cold slime in my hands”
If you cannot name the emotion, ask yourself:
“If I could name it, what would I call it?”
Do not try to guess or determine what the emotion should objectively be called.
Name it the way it feels to you — that will be the right answer.
Analyze less. Listen to yourself more. The answers will come from within.
On the last page of your diary, write down all the emotions you know and gradually add new ones to the list.
Notice that “quiet sadness” is different from “sadness” and from “gentle sorrow”.
Learn to notice the subtle differences in your feelings.
The purpose of this diary is NOT to analyze your dominant emotional state. That is secondary.
The main goal of this technique is to learn how to identify, recognize, and name your sensations and emotions.
If it feels very difficult to determine what exactly you are feeling, you can try using the Feelings Wheel.
And don’t forget to ask yourself throughout the day: “What am I feeling right now?”
27.08.2024