I heard this term recently and it resonated with me. At first glance if we looked at how we define sobriety it looks as though it is about getting to a place where you never experience emotions or maybe just the bad ones. That’s not it at all. Emotions are not good or bad, they are a natural human response. Emotions reveal how you respond to an event. The question is more are you responding appropriately or inappropriately. What’s the emotion and response telling you?
The idea of emotional sobriety is more of the ability to be fully present, the ability to feel all of your emotions without them defining who you are. It’s the ability to self regulate not only your thoughts and it’s about regulating your behavior. It’s the ability to feel and experience life fully and deeply.
The emotional response has been triggered by a thought – whether a conscious or unconscious thought and your brain will have a chemical reaction. Emotional sobriety is around the idea of naming the emotion and what is it creating in you physically and then how can we respond to what we are feeling with our behavior and actions. Emotions are a quick response to something going on. If we refuse to listen to our emotions it can lead us to stress and the inability to take action. Our emotions are here to teach us about ourselves, our needs or desires and they are messages to serve us.
So what do you need to learn about your emotions? Are you experiencing your life being fully present?