Sundaze: onwards
dystopia, emotional regulation, disconnecting
Life lately feels like a Black Mirror episode. We got sun after weeks and while I sat on a park bench looking over a little garden in the city, I thought to myself what a beautiful day.
An alert popped up on my phone.
“Breaking News” 3:08 pm.
And later I passed by this cafe sign (great food), that felt dystopian as I received another one:
“Breaking News” 4:36 pm.
My social media feed is pictures of brutalized bodies of Gazan children next to ads for a bright blue fleece jacket. Now every time a notification on my phone pops up, it is accompanied with a bout of anxiousness. I am learning how to deal with these changes in emotion, how to sustain hope amidst feelings of lowness. I am leaning into the discomfort.
A grad school professor said labeling these emotions helps regulate them. Understanding what these emotions look and feel like is the first step in its identification. By now, in life, you’ve probably heard of the seven deadly sins. Probably experienced some of each. So let’s start there. We are going to see how that looks in our body.
Today’s prompt will span the seven days of the week ahead:
Think about the seven deadly sins, and any you choose to add; identify where you feel each emotion.
Gluttony - e.g. stomach
Pride -
Greed -
Lust -
Sloth -
Envy -
Wrath -
Bonus: Emotion X [e.g. anxiety] -
Now that you have identified where you feel each emotion, describing the feeling. If you said gluttony forms in your stomach, does it feel like a block or a tingle?
For this week, watch out for when these feelings appear. Pay attention to which emotion came up the most.
We’ll pick up where we left off next week.
Solo date idea:
Disconnect. Go to a park, leave your phone at home. If you must hold something, hold a pencil and a notebook but avoid writing. Just be. If you prefer to be indoors, lay in bed for a moment and just be. Stare at the wall if you want.
The idea is to let your mind rest, let your subconcious do the talking. When we distract it with reading, listening to music with lyrics, mindless TV or simply doing something - we are not recharging ourselves to take on the next task. Try to do this 10 mins everyday after you close your laptop for the day. This is your separation between your job and the rest of your life.
Favorite park in the city: Elizabeth Street Garden
Cafe of the week: The Elk, Mott st location
In community,
Aaisha