By Fran Migliorati
We all have bad days. Days when we can’t seem to get our thoughts and emotions to a positive place. Days when we fear the smallest things. Days when we just don’t believe something good can and will happen for us.
A fort is a strong wall designed to protect warriors from an attack. Building an emotional fort for yourself will help you survive those bad days, and it will remind you that there is still hope and strength within you. An emotional fort will protect you. There are 3 parts of an emotional fort: the foundations, the walls, and an entrance.
I’ve put together some questions below that will help you build your own emotional fort. All you have to do is answer these questions with the words, images and sensations that come to mind as you reflect upon them.
Keep this exercise in a safe place, where you can easily access it when needed especially on tough days.
Emotional Fort – The foundations: Hope and Gratitude
Hope
Describe a time in your life when you felt full of hope.
Describe a time in your life when you were going through a challenging moment or situation but still felt full of hope.
What does HOPE mean to you?
Gratitude
What are you most grateful for in your life?
What kind of giving back actions would you like to take in the near future, and why?
What does GRATITUDE mean to you?
Emotional Fort – The walls: Joy, Peace and Inspiration
Joy
Describe a time when you felt joy in your life.
Describe the things that bring you the most joy and happiness in life.
Peace
Describe a time in your life when you felt at peace.
Describe the things that make the world around you stop and you feel fully present in the moment.
Inspiration
Describe a time in your life when you felt inspired and determined to carry on, to reach for the impossible and to believe that you can.
Describe the things that inspire you in life.
Emotional Fort – The entrance: Self-Compassion and Perspective
Self-Compassion
What is self-compassion to you, and what does it look like in practice?
Describe a time when you talked to yourself or a friend in a compassionate way (if you can’t think of a time, write a compassionate dialogue with yourself right now)
Perspective
Describe a time when you realized that you are part of something much larger than that one moment in time?
What are the things in your life that are constant and can ground you (like an anchor) no matter what is happening for you?
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About Fran - Fran Migliorati is a certified Fertility + Mindset coach based in London, UK. Fran is an IVF twin mum and ectopic pregnancy survivor. She now helps women to navigate the ups and downs of their own fertility journey with emotional control and comfort, and a focus on the mind-body connection. Her methods include life coaching, mindset coaching, EFT, NLP and energy healing.