{"id":612,"date":"2023-03-21T12:33:36","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T12:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/?p=612"},"modified":"2024-09-02T23:43:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T23:43:21","slug":"daily-emotional-dialysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/wp-dev\/daily-emotional-dialysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Emotional Dialysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Filtering Difficult Experiences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a big fan of the emotional equivalent of \u201cemptying the trash.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By writing in a journal people get in touch with their feelings and express them without censorship. It\u2019s a research-tested treatment for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress. And if you journal right before bedtime, it often leads to better sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Don\u2019t Have Time For That<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of people (myself included) don\u2019t like writing everything out long-hand. I hate hand cramps and who has the time? And yet, taking a few minutes at the end of the day to process what has happened that day is just so fantastic for one\u2019s mental health. It prevents a build-up of stressful emotions, provides effective stress management, and leads to better sleep, mood, and energy levels. Hmmm\u2026what to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional Dialysis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I pieced together a system for sorting through the stuff that life hands you each day that doesn\u2019t take very long, is still very effective, and I call it Daily \u201cEmotional Dialysis.\u201d I have relied heavily on the wisdom of centuries of sages, prophets, researchers, and AA to put together what works for me. If you like to make lists, you are going to LOVE this system. If you don\u2019t\u2026well, just keep doing what works for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, The Toxic Crap<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In your journal or notebook, up in the top left-hand corner, you start making a list of all the toxic crap that\u2019s going on in your life. This is the trauma, the tragedy, the stress, the annoyances, the irritations, the yuck. This is the stuff that if you don\u2019t know how to effectively filter and manage, it builds up in your emotional system and causes major back-ups, a kind of sepsis of the mental health system leading to depression, anxiety, and eventual hardening of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next Up, Gratitude!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You know I am all yin and yang and think you need to balance everything. Since we\u2019re making a list of all the toxins, we need to make a list of all the good stuff, too! So on the right-hand side of your journal, right next to your list of all the crappy stuff that you\u2019re dealing with, make a list of any and everything that went right today, that was an example of goodness, or that you can honestly say you are grateful for. If someone was genuinely nice to you today, if someone or something gave you hope that maybe things aren\u2019t all completely messed up in this world\u2026add it to your list! I always love it when my Gratitude List ends up being way longer than my Toxins List.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re Not Done Yet!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Getting in touch with the good stuff to balance out the bad stuff helps to prevent depression, but it doesn\u2019t always help you to know what to do with all the bad stuff. But we\u2019re not done yet. Now comes the really interesting part\u2026this is where the dialysis or \u201cfiltering\u201d comes in. You get to filter the toxic stuff through something that helps you figure out what to do\u2026and (just as important )\u2026 what to not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CAN DO\/LET GO Filter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Next, we take the Serenity Prayer<\/a> by Reinhold Niebuhr:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God grant me the serenity<\/em> to accept the things I cannot change;<\/em>
courage to change the things I can;<\/em> and wisdom to know the difference.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the filter we use to take each item in your Toxins List<\/strong> and sort it through. Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n