Tunnel vision is a term that can be used to describe single-minded focus or concentration on one particular thing. Have you ever had a tunnel vision feeling?
It’s where you experience an emotion or feeling and you just can’t let it go, like a dog with a bone. You’re determined to hold onto it. Or maybe you want to let it go, but you just can’t figure out how.
Here’s the thing: a tunnel is a passageway, it has an entrance and an exit. We need to let these feelings move through us and not get stuck. If a vehicle got stuck in a tunnel, it would cause a huge back up, it’s the same with feelings or emotions.
Stuck feelings can wreak havoc on our lives. I’ve met a few people who have struggled with tunnel vision feelings, and admit to having been there myself a few times. It can make us feel irritable or unmotivated, we can have trouble sleeping and feel hopeless. I also believe when it’s really bad, it can even cause physical illness and disease.
I wish I had a magic wand to wave that I could immediately let go of those feelings that make me uncomfortable: anger, irritation, fear, envy and pride, just to name a few. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy.
Learning how to let those emotions travel through us and not get stuck can take some time and effort, and what works for one person might not work for another. We first need to acknowledge or admit what it is we are feeling and then we can begin to release them. Some people exercise, meditate, or get creative like painting, drawing or writing. Those are healthy ways.
The important thing is to find a way (or two) that works for you, and sometimes that is just trial and error. I know what works for me one day might not work on another.
I encourage you to pay attention so that if your feelings get stuck, you find a way to unravel them so they can pass right through. Coming out of that dark tunnel and seeing the light is worth the effort.
Lisamkurtz.com 