#239
Self-mastery is the ability to sit still with any thought or emotion without suppressing them or giving in to the temptation to react judgementally.
And how very tempting it is to “save” ourselves from the experience of being sad, especially when there are so many available distractions, tasks on our to-do list and other people whose emotional state we can be supporting instead!
You see the problem, right?
Sadness comes as a response to something. Learning to investigate the source of our sadness helps us regulate our nervous system, so that we can maintain our inner balance.
A dysregulated nervous system leads to a lowered immune system, interrupted sleep and insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, changing appetite and a variety of gut health issues, and a whole lot of stress.
In other words, when we allow ourselves to experience the sadness and then let it go, we say to the nervous system: “It’s OK, this was just a blip, we can relax now.”
