Jason Buffington .com

I’ve been struggling with this week’s topic – a lot.  How do you compartmentalize when negative feelings are bottled up inside you?  Let’s talk about that.

video transcript

Here’s something I struggle with — maybe you do too?

Imagine the pressure – or anger – or hurt (whatever your negative feelings are) that you’re struggling with as an inflated beach ball. Good news: if they’re all in the ball, you can compartmentalize it; keep in boxed up. The ball kind of feels light; bounces around, you can toss it in the air or rest it on your shoulder for a second or two. Now imagine you’re in a swimming pool – and it’s floating on the water. But you don’t want to deal with it right now, so you try to push it under the water surface.

• Pushing just part of the ball under isn’t that hard, and now it (and those negative feelings) aren’t as visible
• Pushing the whole thing under the surface is a little tougher – but now folks can’t see it.
• Now push it all the way under your feet … so it can’t be seen or even noticed.

Turns out, due to the law of buoyancy, the further down you push it, the more that pressure wants the ball to shoot back upward. But even if you’re just holding it barely below the surface, at some point, your arms will get tired of holding it out of view. And then … it rushes to the surface, launching into the air, and splashing everyone around you.

Remember what’s in the ball? Your anger, your hurt, whatever your negative feelings are. And whenever you get to where you can’t hold it out of view anymore … those feelings will explode on the surface and splash onto those around you.

Each of us has two choices:

1. Continually get stronger so that you can hold it all down
2. OR let go of whatever it is that you’re struggling with

I’m not sure which is harder, holding it down or letting it go …

See you next Monday