I used the term PITA when talking to my daughter today. She asked what that stood for. Pain. In. The. Ass.

I was referencing someone that drains my energy when I interact with them. And yes, I took some time to reflect on my own behavior and thinking because I know I can be a PITA too.

What I know is that this person and I aren’t aligned in our values. I need to let go. And now I am grieving the loss of the story of potential that I created to give me a reason to stay connected to this person.

Letting go can be difficult or you can make it easier by sitting in the emotional discomfort. Staying in the space of grief and sadness is not easy. It can feel awful in the seconds it takes to have the intense emotion subside.

According to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, ninety seconds is all it takes to identify an emotion and allow it to dissipate while you simply notice it.

So, I am embracing the “90 Second Pause” today. I am naming my emotion and sitting with it because I know that will help me move from an amygdala hijack to my prefrontal cortex or logical part of my brain. And I know the sensations in my body and my sadness will become less if I let myself fully feel it.

90 seconds. So easy to say. Not so easy to do.

I am reminding myself that this is emotional resilience. And I am practicing with intention and compassion.

#resilience #emotionalintelligence #painintheass #lettinggo