Surf the Waves of Emotions
I’ve always thought my alter ego could be a beach-loving pretty-hippie living in Costa Rica. Surfing in the morning and evening. Teaching yoga and drinking smoothies during the day. Maybe napping in the hammock every afternoon while I listen to reggae music. I’m going with the flow and living the relaxed life under the sun.
It’s a far cry from what my life looks like now with all 4 of us home 24/7 trying to live, work, learn, and stay sane all under the same roof. On good days I’m tired, bored, and a little lonely. On the harder days I’m fed up, weepy, and wondering why I’m bothering with anything anymore. On those days I feel less in the flow and more pulled under by the undertow.
It’s reminding me of something I heard in yoga years ago:
“Don’t try to control the waves on the ocean, it’s impossible. Learn how to surf.”
For a lot of us, our emotions during pandemic feel like giant ocean waves with big high swells and lower than normal troughs. If you try to control that kind of force, you will be beaten back to the shore, pounded with water, and end up exhausted - possibly even needing to be rescued.
But if you can back off and watch the waves come through something different can happen. Instead of fighting them, you can get skillful at riding them. I’ve never learned how to surf in real life, but I do know that it takes sensitivity, commitment, and deep connection with the ocean. The surfer catches the big wave and has the ride of her life not by trying to tell the wave where to go, but by letting it take her and going along with it.
Life is giving us all some really big waves to ride right now. If you’re feeling stuck ask yourself if you’re trying to control the ocean, or if you're letting yourself ride the waves. Thing is, when you ride the waves, they will eventually deposit you back on the warm sand of a soft beach. If you ride the waves of your emotions all the way to the end you will find out that they resolve themselves back into peace.
They ALWAYS do. You just have to stick around for the ride.
If you’re struggling with a lot of emotions and challenges right now, know that you are definitely not alone. I know it can be hard to let big waves of feelings move all the way through to the place of peace. If you need some help lining up your board to be able to ride those waves, I’m here. Let’s connect with a coaching call. Or try a yoga or meditation practice to help your body, heart, and mind settle down. You don’t have to do this alone.