Daily Mindfulness 9/30/12 – Feeling our Feelings

Many people who struggle with anger find mindfulness practice extremely useful.  When we are practicing mindfulness of our thoughts and emotions, we are able to see our anger as it is just beginning to arise.  We become aware of our anger when it is still at the stage of irritation, fear, or hurt.  Recognizing our emotions and thoughts at this level allows us to prevent anger.

When we notice irritation, frustration, or fear, we no longer push the feeling away.  We cradle the feeling as a mother would cradle her newborn.  Owning and feeling our feelings, we recognize the discomfort, and feel how it feels.  When we are feeling the discomfort, we are not pushing it away.  When we stop resisting our feelings and sit in them, we begin to take the power away from them.  Feeling our irritation, we take the power away before true anger even arises.