The Mindful Divergent: Becoming

An Exploration Of Emotional Stillness As A Place Of Growth

I have been working hard to expand the work I do, and to explore concepts that may be helpful to that work. As a mindfulness practitioner I spend my time trying to sit with thoughts on feelings without reaction or judgement.

Despite this, I often find myself caught in cycles of emotional reactivity that prevent me from moving beyond those feelings and experiences. I become trapped trying to avoid sitting with emotions, and thus, do not see them through to their natural conclusion. An emotion that we do not experience to it's conclusion obtains a status of immortality until we do so.

By sitting in a state of emotional stillness, rather than reactivity, we come to a place of becoming. Emotions are a part of us, and by sitting with them through to their natural conclusion, they- and thus, we- become something more, something different.

I have frequently spoken of a concept I refer to as the Chaotic Self. This Chaotic Self is an acknowledgement that the Self is not a fixed and organised point, but a constantly shifting and chaotic point, changing through interaction with the world. What is often forgotten is that the body we exist within is a part of that world, an inescapable part. Emotions, then, are the feedback our bodymind system provides to us. They alter the Self just as much as the external world.

Emotional reactivity can serve to keep us safe, but also serve to prevent the natural conclusion of an emotional state. We become trapped in a cycle of distress rather than growing through the journey that emotional stillness provides. Stillness and silence makes soace for the Self to adapt to the new information that an emotional journey provides.

In short, we must sit with our emotions to allow them to become something else. We embrace the chaos of becoming by acknowledging that we have little control over how the world makes us feel, but we do have control over our response to those feeling, through intentional practice and the use of sensory anchors and nesting. By allowing the emotion to wash over us and pass in silence, we step into the becoming and growth it provides.

If this article interests you and you would like to explore this concept further, please feel free to join the Mindfully Divergent Community on NeuroHub where I use my experience as an AuDHD and Schizophrenic mindfulness practitioner to provide community and mindful living advice in a way that adapts to jeurodivergent needs. Click the button below for more.