Emotions and Presence
It’s wild how something so small can knock us sideways. It could be a glance or a tone. Maybe a line that wasn’t meant to sting but does.
And just like that, you’re out of the moment, tense, spinning, and reacting without fully understanding why.
That's emotion for you. And it's powerful.
It isn’t just a passenger, showing up to observe. It grabs the wheel and shapes how we read the room, how we move, and what we remember.
And it rarely shows up alone. It carries memory. It echoes old stories — things we’ve lived through, defended against, or quietly carried for way too long. Stuff that taught us how to protect ourselves, how to get heard, how to stay safe.
So, when something small feels big, it usually isn’t just about what’s happening. It’s about what’s been echoing inside us for a while. That doesn’t make the emotion wrong. But it doesn’t mean it’s telling the truth either. It's just operating on reflex.
And while reflex is efficient, it’s also lazy. It runs the same setlist over and over, even if you’ve outgrown it.
When that same ol' song just isn't working for you in the moment, try this:
Identify the emotion – What are you actually feeling right now? Call it out. Give it a name. That’s how you take the distortion out of the signal.
Get back to the start – What is this feeling reminding you of? What do you think you might need? The feeling usually has a backstory.
Check alignment – Is this helping you respond well, or dragging you into an old pattern?
You don’t need to be perfect. Just clear, honest, and intentional.
That’s what presence is. It lets us respond to the moment we’re actually in, not the one we’re bracing for. It reconnects us to choice, our values, and the version of ourselves we want to lead with — even when it’s hard.