As I walked through this beautiful afternoon I felt nothing but restless. I opened my arms, took a deep breath, and tried to embrace the blue sky and sunshine moment, but I wanted more: a purpose, a destination, something new to engage with. I felt bored and irritable.
The nine days left in the 100 day writing challenge for my students meant that I had been meditating for 91 days, and I felt discouraged that I didn't feel better today. Fortunately, there is a lot of information available to those of us who are new to a mindfulness practice, and a little research revealed that irritability like that I experienced today is common. Some attribute such uneasiness to stirring up stagnant apathetic, energy that can eventually be released; others hypothesize that it is a sign that your brain chemistry is changing, ultimately for the better.
But perhaps the advice that resonated most with me was that being mindful means noticing the good and the bad feelings, and then developing deliberate strategies to address negativity, rather than escape into distraction or lash out. That is a profound lesson, indeed.
Life Lesson: "Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different: enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will),
being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t)." – James Baraz
The nine days left in the 100 day writing challenge for my students meant that I had been meditating for 91 days, and I felt discouraged that I didn't feel better today. Fortunately, there is a lot of information available to those of us who are new to a mindfulness practice, and a little research revealed that irritability like that I experienced today is common. Some attribute such uneasiness to stirring up stagnant apathetic, energy that can eventually be released; others hypothesize that it is a sign that your brain chemistry is changing, ultimately for the better.
But perhaps the advice that resonated most with me was that being mindful means noticing the good and the bad feelings, and then developing deliberate strategies to address negativity, rather than escape into distraction or lash out. That is a profound lesson, indeed.
Life Lesson: "Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different: enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will),
being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t)." – James Baraz
So much food for thought here and very wise words from James Baraz.
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