Buffalo as a Metaphor

By Jessie Krall | Originally published on Krall Counseling

There’s a story a mentor shared with me years ago that has stayed with me ever since. It’s simple. But powerful. And I tell it often in sessions.

You can read the full version of the story here, but here’s the abridged version I offer clients:

In a town in Colorado where cows and buffalo live in the same region, storms are a common occurrence. When the storm rolls in, the cows run away from it. But the buffalo? They run into the storm.

By facing the storm head-on, the buffalo make it through faster—with less damage. The cows, in contrast, end up running with the storm, staying in it longer, and getting worn down in the process.

🐃 Be the Buffalo

The storm, to me, is a metaphor for difficult emotions.

It’s so tempting to run from emotional discomfort—to distract, avoid, numb, or shut down. But when we avoid the storm, it lingers. It grows. It eventually circles back and crashes in harder than if we had faced it to begin with.

The lesson?

Be the buffalo. Move toward the storm.

🌪️ Why We Fear the Storm

Many people fear emotional storms because they imagine becoming dysregulated—overwhelmed, out of control, flooded by big feelings.

And truthfully, that can happen—especially if we’re reacting from an unhealed child part within us rather than our wise adult self.

But emotional regulation isn’t about shutting down your feelings. It’s about keeping your observer self online.

👁️ Your Inner Observer

Your observer self is the part of your brain that can notice:

• “My chest feels tight.”

• “My thoughts are spinning.”

• “I’m telling myself this means I’m not safe or not enough.”

When this observer is online, your emotions don’t have to knock you over. They can move through you without taking you out.

🌿 How to Regulate in the Storm

The simplest way to bring your observer self back online is to return to the body:

• Feel your feet on the ground

• Notice your breath

• Wiggle your fingers and toes

• Name your sensations

• Remind yourself: I am here. I am safe enough. I can feel this.

These tiny practices help anchor you. They remind your nervous system that even though there is weather—you are the sky.

💛 The More You Practice...

The more you actively practice emotional regulation, the more resilient you become.

• You won’t fear your feelings in the same way.

• You’ll move through challenges faster, with more clarity and less collapse.

• You’ll begin to trust that even in the middle of a storm, you have what it takes to stay present.

Be the buffalo. The storm will pass faster when you walk through it instead of running from it.