spiraling UP 🌀

my favorite take away from therapy: how to take small steps up this scale to spiral up instead of an emotional downward spiral. If I feel overwhelm in any of these negative emotions or slipping downward, I identify the emotion I’m at then I try to take just one step up on this scale. I used to try to skip from worry or anger all the way up to contentment or happiness. Trying for this big leap in emotions is setting myself up for failure. Going from impatience to irritation or from optimism to enthusiasm is more realistic. This chart has helped me see that having an initial goal of boredom (stoicism) is the best way to ground myself - then I can stepwise spiral up to love even if I’m overwhelmed or in a difficult situation.