A Moment in Time
90 seconds.
It is theorized that emotions pass through our bodies in 90 seconds. A minute and a half. When I heard this bit of information I found myself so surprised. What does this really mean for how we feel these emotions?
I was in a public space last week and something was said that stirred some very strong emotions in my body. It was so intense that I felt I needed to walk out of the space I was in to calm down. So I did. And if I’m being honest it took me far longer than 90 seconds to process what was happening internally.
When I learned about this 90 second idea and revisited the scenario from just a few days earlier, I realized that while I had stepped away to process my emotions, it wasn’t the same thing as remaining present with the emotions in my body.
When I stepped away, I did stop to consider what emotions I was experiencing. However, rather than acknowledging those emotions and observing them until they dissipated in my body, I began to think about scenarios from the past as well as possible future scenarios that basically fed those feelings making them bigger. These narratives made it hard for me to release the emotions from my body. Essentially, I ended up in a loop.
So, as I thought about this 90 second idea it made me pause.
Was it true that those emotions that had been so intense could have dissipated in 90 seconds if I had kept myself focused on staying in the moment? What would that look like? How could I practice?
While I was thinking about this, a couple of Scripture verses came to mind. I thought of the 2 Corinthians 10 passage about taking every thought captive, the passage from Romans 12 about renewing our minds, and the passage from Philippians 4 about thinking on things that are good, true, noble, pure, etc.
I always love when science affirms what God has already revealed through Scripture. We have a choice about what we allow to take up space in our minds and in our bodies. Emotions are a part of who we are, and they deserve our time and attention. It is also true that they are not the boss of us, and we get to actively participate in naming them, sitting with them, and releasing them.
We do this, not by avoiding them, but rather by recognizing that in those 90 seconds we have an opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit to help us accurately name our emotions and help us guard our minds against the onslaught of narratives that might trap the emotions in our body. Honestly, at times, this feels easier said than done.
While the chemical response that takes place in our body lasts for just 90 seconds that doesn't mean the hurt from past experiences just vanishes. If you have experienced trauma or grief, you know the path to healing takes time and will be riddled with a wide range of emotions.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes in the middle of healing, I don’t want the emotions to go in 90 seconds. Sometimes I want to hold onto the pain or the anger or the sadness. I don’t always want to let people off of the hook. I don’t always want to settle into joy. I can’t even always name what I feel.
Healing can be a bit messy. But it is also beautiful. My 15-year-old often says "I can't choose which emotions show up, but I can choose how I respond to them." I've learned a lot from him about feeling emotions rather than stuffing them.
Dr. Alison Cook writes, “And so we need spiritual solutions - and - we also need psychological solutions. We need physiological solutions. We need emotional solutions. We need a whole tool kit of solutions. And God transcends all of them.”
The renewal of our minds, the practice of focusing on goodness, truth, and beauty, and the intentionality of taking our thoughts captive are not just nice sentiments. They are part of our toolkit to help us experience wholeness every day.
What will you do during the 90 seconds an emotion is moving through your body? I'm going to practice observing and inviting the Holy Spirit to help me name and release more readily.
~ Melissa