How do you respond to the unexpected?
How do you respond when something happens out of the blue? Presumably, it depends on whether the unexpected is a bunch of flowers on your desk or someone crashing into the back of your car. And there is a difference between a taking soccer ball in the head and receiving an unwelcome medical diagnosis. All of these situations bring up different feelings and different realities but they share one common denominator: Shock.
Shock is part of anything that comes up unexpectedly, whether it is absolutely delightful or absolutely traumatic or anywhere in between. It is when the physical impact from a car accident or a blow to the head takes up space in your body. It is also the energetic and emotional impact when somebody yells at you or you get some kind of shocking news. The good news is that being conscious of and releasing shock can be relatively straightforward.
Shock is when you feel blank or frozen and your brain doesn't work, when you can’t think and you don’t know what you feel. And once you can recognize that, you can breathe into it and allow your body to release the impact. Shaking your hands or your whole body releases the holding pattern in your nervous system. And then you can be more conscious of your thoughts and feelings and the choices available to you.
