Riding Emotional Hurricanes: Finding Calm Through Breath and Self-Reflection
Hurricane season, typically occurring in August each year in the US, serves as a metaphor for the emotional storms that can brew within us. In my own life, it felt as if hurricane season persisted daily for fifty years. I lacked the ability to decipher the impending tempest, the atmospheric conditions that fueled it, yet I was acutely aware of my reactions to its fury. Inner turmoil, a maelstrom of negative emotions, and an unsettling inability to escape this emotional whirlwind were constant companions. The lyrics of Matchbox 20’s “Long Day” succinctly encapsulated much of what I underwent:
“I’m sorry about the attitude
I need to give when I’m with you
But no one else’ll take this shit from me
And I’m so terrified of no one else but me
I’m here all the time
I won’t go away”
Indeed, the days were long and suffocating, fostering a toxic environment. Regrettably, I couldn’t lose myself, yet I forfeited nearly everything else in my life due to this emotional turmoil. Eventually, I discovered how to transform the suffering of the storm into nourishment for the beautiful garden I aspired to cultivate within.
