One of the most challenging, rewarding, often maddening tools I engage with emotions is the act of exploring.

When I feel a strong emotion I remind myself this emotion is the sum total of my history glued together by strongly held beliefs.

As I gently, tenderly explore (take a trip down memory lane) I begin to identify pieces of the emotional puzzle. As each puzzle piece loosens I gain more insight on what fuels the strong emotion.

Example? I stub my toe. In the instant of feeling pain I also feel anger. I get mad at an inanimate object for being in the wrong place at the wrong time LOL!

As I explore what lead-up to me stubbing my toe I discover I most likely wasn't mindful of where I was walking. Classic act of texting while walking leads to stubbing a toe.

Laughter ensues!