State Shifting

We’ve all been there – we are upset about something – perhaps a fight with our partner, a stressor at work, or someone just cut you off in the car on the way to your local coffee shop. You get in line to order your morning latte and boom! The barista says hello and you can’t help but feel angry at this other human being talking to you. Poor barista!

Our emotions can often overflow in this way. We are humans- full of feelings and sometimes we need a little state shifting to move us from the funk towards feeling and operating more authentically to who we want to be in that situation.

So, what is state shifting?

State shifting is simply what it says: shifting from one emotional state to another. Not unlike driving a manual gear car or adjusting your body to surf varying waves. You have to go from one gear to another depending on the acceleration and situation. We too can do this in our minds when we are faced with disturbing emotions.

One such exercise that helps you state shift is either the Calm Place or Container exercise. These exercises allow you to shift from a disturbing place to one that is more calm and contained. They are easy to do on your own.

They can be found here:

Calm Place

Container exercise

Happy State Shifting!

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