The phrase “I feel (insert negative emotion here) about feeling (insert negative emotion here)” is used pretty often. Despite that misleading first line, this post isn’t about Mad Libs (remember that fun little game from the 80’s? Apparently they have an app now….). Both in wellness pursuits and in general life, passing judgement on our own feelings is pretty common.
In Buddhism there is a parable and the teaching goes:
“If you get struck by an arrow, do you then shoot another arrow into yourself?”
Let that one sink in. How many times do we pile pain on top of pain?
Next time you find yourself feeling bad about feeling bad, try the following:
-Take 5 slow, deep breaths and recognize what you are feeling.
-Bring awareness to your body and recognize physical sensations.
-Repeat until compassion and acceptance replace judgement and denial.
-Practice for a lifetime.
Don’t take it to heart if your way of thinking doesn’t change overnight. And try not to pass judgement on yourself about passing judgement on your emotions. Three arrows is too much for anyone to handle!
For more ideas head over to the Joyful Gym Rat page on Facebook!
I don’t have any pictures of T or Dee playing with arrows (thank goodness!) so here is a pretty one of T playing with a ball….