3 Ways to Satisfy Your Face
Are you the person who no matter what emotion, your face tells all? I am. Our faces are typically a good indicator to others of what we are feeling and thinking. While we cannot see our faces, we can sure feel them if they are tensed up, drooping with sadness or radiating happiness. Sure there are a few folks that have become excellent masters of illusion with facial expressions while others struggle to express emotions altogether. How can you satisfy your face when feeling or experiencing different emotions?
1. BODY SCAN: Take a toes-to-head approach
When scanning your body, take an inventory of how you are feeling. Some folks may be saying “Oh great…this touchy-feely-feeling junk!” The first time it may feel super awkward but the more you become familiar with your responses, the better you will be able to either continue to experience them or try to change them. For starters, work your way up from your toes to your head. By the time you get to your face or head, recognize and name any discomfort, sadness, anger, excitement, anxiety, happiness, confusion, emptiness, etc.
2. BULL’S-EYE: Target the emotion
Once you recognize and name what you are feeling, ask yourself if any needs are unmet. Perhaps you had a rough day at the office, which left you feeling grumpy, irritable, tired and hungry. Wait, is hunger an emotion? I would suggest that emotional hunger exists. In the example of having a rough day at the office, emotional hunger may surface in a variety of ways. Examples can include not feeling heard at work with ideas or opinions, not having friendly interactions with co-workers or perhaps feelings of isolation because of being buried with work. While I am not suggesting work will always be full of sunshine and rainbows, I am suggesting ways to process your daily interactions and experiences to avoid feeling emotionally starved. Emotional starvation can be broadcasted across your face and I want to help you get nourished so your face can mimic the experience your body is having.
3. BRING IT ON: Take it and run with it!
Now that you may have established that you have some emotional hunger going on, how do you satisfy it? Recall your body scan (where the emotion was felt), the actual emotion and the intensity level. With this information, ask yourself again what you need. Many self-labeled “emotional eaters” take these cues to mean they are physically hungry and they turn to food to satisfy these needs. It is important to ask yourself if you are feeling emotionally starved or if physical hunger (where physiologically your body is asking for fuel) is occurring. Emotional hunger can be felt in many areas of the body such as the heart, stomach and at times you may be unable to locate a specific area. Inability to stop eating, feeling numb, entering into a trance-like state or having guilt creep in, can all be signs of eating from an emotional state. Making a list of ideas for emotional hunger can include phoning a friend, spending time with your pet or spending some quiet time with your coloring book. Depending on your needs (i.e. sense of connection, love, belonging, etc.), you will be better equipped to get them met. If you are at the point where you have exhausted such ideas and are still not able to meet your needs, it may be time to meet with a skilled professional. Let the satisfaction of feeling FULL show through on your face!
© Erica Faulhaber 2016 – This blog may be shared or reprinted as long as the information is unedited and the author bio, including contact information is printed along with the blog.
Erica Faulhaber MA, NCC, LPC, CEDS, Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDR Consultant-In-Training. She is a therapist in Erie, Colorado who helps women, teens and tweens struggling with trying to be perfect all the time. New Directions Colorado, is a therapy practice that specializes in eating disorders/disordered eating, trauma and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Excellent!!