Self-care PraCtices
emotions
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We are emotional beings. In theatre, characters often make 'emotion-led’ decisions rather than 'rational-led' ones. Understanding our emotional landscape, having a language for it, and knowing how to tolerate our own depth of feeling not only supports us as individuals but also enhances our understanding and perception of characters, thereby expanding our range.
Tool to process emotions:
Label the sensation you are feeling
My chest feels tight, my heart is racing, I feel hot.
Name the emotion Instead of shaming the emotion, name what you think you are feeling.
I am feeling angry at my partner.
Be curious Be curious about where this sensation/emotion came from?
What happened before the sensation/emotion?
I noticed they had left their washing up in the sink.
What caused the sensation/emotion?
The thought that they knew that I don’t like mess and now I must clear it up.
What did it make you feel?
My partner does not respect me, they expect me to do everything for them.
Had anything happened before this incident to upset you? Was it magnified, or anger being released from another situation?
Did you partner not say goodbye to you properly earlier in the day?
After a while you might be able to start recognising patterns to your emotions. It might be that, like in the example above, you find the theme of not being respected, something which often occurs when you feel uncomfortable emotions or anger.
Ask yourself...
Are the thoughts that caused the emotion 100% true? (Be really honest with this - this is hard to do!)
In relation to the example above you could ask...
Does your partner have different standards to you?
Do they not mind mess?
Are they tired?
Did they deliberately set out to disrespect you?
Were they planning on doing it later?
Are they used to things being magically cleaned. Are you able to leave it?
Our thoughts and emotions are not fact. Just because the emotion feels strong it doesn’t mean that our thoughts around it are true.
Allow the emotion
Allow yourself to feel the emotion. Try not to push it away. Maybe find a quiet space to allow it to move through you. Cry, punch a pillow, allow yourself to be curious about the sensations. When we try not to 'get rid of' or ignore emotions and instead acknowledge them, it allows them to relax and move through the body.
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