Things are bound to happen in our lives that are upsetting, make us angry or fearful and cause other emotional distress. With the relentless pace and pressure of life in the 21st century, keeping on an even keel at all times isn’t easily achieved for most people.
We witness or hear often enough about someone that overreacts, loses his or her cool or seems to have been overly dramatic about an event that has occurred. Each of us most likely can recall a time when we reacted much the same way, and, because of something called stored significance, our response might be to rant and rave, leave in a huff or perhaps simply shut down.
Sure, we can’t control everything that happens around us, but effectively managing our emotions when adverse circumstances arise not only is realistic, but also can be easily learned and practiced every day. We all have the capacity to take the drama out of life’s wrinkles before it can sap vital energy and harm us in other ways.
Researchers at the HeartMath Institute have explored the physiology of emotions for 22-plus years and conducted studies in which participants have learned to take the significance out of negative events or emotions such as fear, anger and anxiety and shift to positive ones like care, compassion and love. The most important thing they learned and thousands of others have since learned is this: It is not the problem that causes internal energy drain, as much as it is the stored significance we assign to a problem.
HMI researchers found that it wasn’t easy for many people to take the significance or drama out of the negative events in their lives, so HeartMath developed a special tool to help. Appropriately, it’s called Take the Significance Out and we want you, your family and friends to have this tool available whenever you or they need to step back from negative events or emotions and shift to a positive state.
Remember, it’s not the problem that causes the internal energy drain, as much as it’s the stored significance we assign to the problem. Just realizing it’s not the issue itself that is causing the discomfort, but rather the emotional significance or importance, helps to take out some of the significance.
Tool: Take the Significance Out
Assume objectivity about an issue or feeling, as if it were another person having this problem. One of the first things you may notice is how much more compassionate and understanding you are toward this imagined person than you have been toward yourself.
- Tell yourself with genuine heart intent, “Take out the significance.”
- Breathe ease and calm while telling yourself to “take the significance out of whatever is going on.”
- Dissolve the significance a little at a time. Imagine you are soaking the significance in the warmth of your heart.
Just the intent will bring you new power to take the significance out of inefficient emotional reactions so you can see new options and act on them.