Margo Graham Personal Counselling

07/20/2024

NICABM

06/24/2023

06/09/2023

Emotion-embedded body sensations and the stories we carry from early experiences often hold the clues to deciphering the constellations of body-based emotion, naming, and processing.

If we've spent our childhood learning that certain feelings are Very Bad and Totally Unacceptable, it's no surprise that we may grow up to craft a universe for our adult self where anger, fear, sadness, or other big feelings aren't allowed to orbit. In the absence of a full range of authentic emotions, filling the vacuum with an uneasy dread of the unknown.

Emotion-embedded body sensations and the stories we carry from early experiences often hold the clues to deciphering the constellations of body-based emotion, naming, and processing.

This sketchnote was created as I listened to episode #109 of The Place We Find Ourselves, a podcast created by Adam Young Counseling. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or visit Adam Young's website.

05/13/2023

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05/11/2023

'When you shut down emotion, you're also affecting your immune system, your nervous system. So the repression of emotion, which is a survival strategy, then becomes a source of physiological illness later on. ' -Gabor Mate ⁣
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However, it’s not just your long-term health that can suffer if you suppress your negative emotions.

There have been numerous studies showing that when we ignore our emotions, we can experience short-term mental and physical reactions as well.⁣
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Suppressing your emotions can lead to physical stress on your body. What emotion is being suppressed does not matter, the effect is the same. ⁣
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When it comes to regulating difficult emotions, there are two ways most people respond: they act out or they suppress.

If you act out with a strong emotion like anger, you will most likely create undesirable consequences in your relationships, your work, and even your play.

The ripple effects of acting out usually provoke more anger around you, which leads to more difficulty.

The consequences of suppressing those big emotions can be even more dangerous. ⁣

What many people aren’t aware of is that there’s another way to regulate our emotions: Feel the feeling in real time. ⁣
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On one level, emotions are like energy waves, varying in shape and intensity, just like ocean waves. Their nature is to arise and pass away pretty quickly, like all natural phenomena.⁣
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Ironically, efforts to “talk yourself out of your emotions” often results in “increased rumination and perseveration.” In other words, you will keep thinking about and holding onto those emotions you’re trying to avoid.⁣
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Research into emotional regulation suggests that mindfulness-based interventions can be helpful.

Particularly focus on feeling the emotion and practicing forgiveness, compassion, and kindness at the same time. ⁣
- Mily Gomez
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05/01/2023

03/31/2023

Good morning, beautiful souls,

Take care of you.

That’s a contradictory statement from what most of us have been taught our entire lives.

For a majority of us, we’ve been taught to care for everyone first, then, if we have 3-5 minutes at the end of the day (and able to stay awake!) then we can indulge ourselves with some self care.

But…

We are meant to fill our own cups. Care for ourselves and allow that beautiful overflow of loving energy to spill onto all of those around us.

When our own cup is full, then we can be even more magnificent for our loved ones.

Take care of you today. Give yourself permission to carve time out of your busy day to fall in love with yourself. You are deserving. 💜

I hope you have a wonderful day. I’m sending you lots of love.

Xo
Laura

📸 💜

03/20/2023

Be kind to YOU this week
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02/28/2023

The vast majority of the results in your life, positive and negative alike, are the product of many small decisions made over time. You really can't lift a thousand pounds all at once, yet you can easily lift one pound a thousand times. Small, repeated, incremental efforts will gradually get you bac...