Physical exercise can be a healthy and effective means for releasing negative feelings.

Conflict and confrontation can be two of the biggest balance busters, but having some coping mechanisms in your toolbox can go a long way toward helping you keep your cool and maintain your health and well being during a difficult difference of opinion.  Regardless of whether a dispute is with a spouse, friend or business associate the following methods can be employed to help you stay balanced.

1)       Get clear about how you feel.  Are you feeling frustrated, disappointed, slighted or confused? If it’s hard to determine what you’re feeling, try using a feeling chart.  Knowing how you feel is the first step in allowing your needs and desires to be effectively understood and communicated.

2)      Move the energy.  Energy is powerful, and negative energy has the power to make you sick if you don’t release it from the body.  Try doing something physical that corresponds with the emotion you’re feeling, for example; a vigorous walk for frustration, restorative Yoga for sadness, hitting a punching bag for anger, or core-strengthening Pilates for feelings of victimization.

3)      Express yourself. Once you’ve taken the time to get clear and get centered it should be less challenging to express your feelings in a constructive way. Staying focused on the needs of yours that are not being met (and how to ask that they be considered) is key, according to communication expert Marshall Goldberg.  Consult his landmark text Nonviolent Communication for excellent guidance on empathic and effective communication.

4)     Take extra care of yourself. During and after a challenging conflict or confrontation remember to do the things that keep your mind calm and your immune system bolstered. For natural ways to promote calm try taking a bath with lavender essential oil, listening to a soothing CD, meditating or taking Rescue Remedy, a natural remedy effective in promoting relaxation and sleep which, along with good nutrition and taking a high quality multi-vitamin, assists in strengthening the body’s defenses.

5)      Envision the best outcome.  Focusing on and intending your desired outcome is one of the best approaches to conflict resolution.  Thinking about the best outcome creates positive chemical responses in the body and mind and sets the wheels in motion for aligning your words and actions with that outcome.  When visualizing a resolution consider the question “what outcome would be for the highest good?”

In Balance, Jenica