EMOTION DEEP CLEAN
I periodically do a deep clean by taking an inventory of one of the Big 3 Emotions -
either my Resentments (long-standing Anger), Grief or Fears.
A periodic emotion deep clean like this is a top-down approach.
I choose when to do such an emotional deep clean wisely, though,
because it can stir up a lot of negative emotions
that aren't normally near the surface.
This can be disruptive and feel painful and/or re-traumatizing.
In addition to bringing negative emotions (such as anger) to the surface,
it might cause some dissociation and/or cravings to show up.
I try to carve out 4 weeks to complete a deep clean on one of the Big 3 emotions.
I try not to drag the process out longer,
because that will lengthen the amount of time
I spend with the negative emotions stirred up.
I pick a month when there isn't anything majorly stressful going on in my life
(such as moving or starting a new job)
and when there aren't any major social events or gatherings that I need to show up for
(such as a reunion, wedding, birthday, or anniversary celebration).
I clear my calendar of commitments as much as possible for the month and
avoid scheduling new appointments or social engagements during this time.
I avoid doing a deep clean right before or during the holidays,
especially one on Resentments.
Holidays can be stressful enough on their own.
Plus, I might be spending time during the holidays with some of the people I have resentments towards,
especially if I am doing a Resentment deep clean on my family.
I try to avoid such people while my negative emotions are being brought up to the surface (to be cleared out).
Deep cleans can be painful, especially the first time we do one.
Once I experienced the liberation that comes from doing a deep clean with a focus on
neutralizing past trauma,
I looked forward to doing them in the future rather than dreading them,
and future deep cleans were not nearly as painful.
I always come out on the other side of an emotional deep cleaning experience with a new perspective
and a new understanding of myself, other people, life, and the world around me.
If we have done similar inventories in the past without neutralizing the underlying trauma,
we might feel reluctant to undertake one again because we did not get full relief.
Some of the same resentments, fears and grief might show up again when we do our first deep clean on each of those emotions.
The good news is that they will finally be dealt with and will not show up again in future deep cleans (or inventories).