An Emotional Awareness Metaphor

Yet, there he is, under your desk at work daily, nipping at your pants, jumping on you in the grocery store, and distracting you when you're trying to drive.

You ask a coworker to take him off your hands. She declines. She already has a few dogs of her own.

You try locking him out of your house and keeping him in the garage.

You even try leaving him at the park across town, and when you arrive home, he is already sitting a the doorstep waiting for you.

There are mornings when you wake up, sure that he isn’t going to bother you today, but within a few minutes, he shows up, barking outside your shower curtain or howling at you during your lunch break.

Every day, you are more frustrated and more convinced that until you get rid of this dog, you’ll be living in hell.

You don’t believe that you can take another day of this torture.

It never occurs to you to embrace the dog.

He's a part of your life, whether you like it or not.

You didn’t invite him, but he isn’t leaving.

Reframing:

Now, imagine taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and re-examining this dog.

He isn’t scary, more irritating than anything. He is needy, always scrambling for attention.

Something in you begins to surrender. You shrug your shoulders, bend down, and pet the dog.

The strangest thing happens.

He stops nipping at you, stops pulling at your pant leg, and rolls over.

Stunned, you scratch his belly and make him a bowl of food. He eats, finds a place near you, curls up, and falls asleep.

This goes on for months. The dog is always near you. You have to feed him and show him some affection a couple of times a day. If you don’t, he goes back to his old ways.

He starts nipping and snarling and driving you crazy, but as long as you notice him when he needs to be noticed, he isn’t that much of a bother.

He’s always there, but not so much of a nuisance, just a part of life.

Journal:

1. Does this metaphor of your emotions as a mangy mutt fit for you?

2. How do you picture your dog? How aggressive does he become when wanting attention?

3. When you try to ignore him, where is he most likely to show up?

4. Have you ever tried embracing your dog? What happens when you give him some attention?