Mindfulness Tools to Help Manage Difficult Emotions
2020 has been a hard year, for all of us. The pandemic and quarantine has been, and continues to be extremely difficult. When big changes occur, it can be hard to manage our emotions and cope. Symptoms of anxiety and depression can set in. Many of us may not have the tools to manage some of these difficult feelings, so today I would like to talk about mindfulness.
Mindfulness is: a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Staying in the moment with mindfulness is a powerful technique in helping to manage anything that comes up for us on a day to day basis. Sometimes our thoughts can be difficult, and sometimes our feelings can be overwhelming. So let's look at some mindfulness techniques to cope with life's stressors.
Set some time aside daily to practice being mindful. I do this in the mornings while driving to work, but you may spend some time before bed or with your morning coffee. Either way, take some time to bring your focus inward. The purpose is to focus on what's happening in your "internal world." Notice any thoughts you are having. Let them gently pass by and just notice what they say. Check in with yourself emotionally. What do you FEEL today? If you struggle with your emotional vocabulary, google "emotion wheel" for ideas! After you know how you're feeling, do a body scan and notice any sensations in your body. Tightness, tingling, neutral sensations. Notice them but do not try to change them or force them away.
A similar mindfulness practice is meditation. Meditation is not meant to fully quiet the thoughts, but more to learn how to refocus back into the moment. Meditate using your breath, music, or a guided meditation on YouTube as your guide.
Another technique is becoming aware of the moment around you. Use your 5 senses to describe what's going on around you and how it feels to be in the moment. You can even practice by doing a mundane task like cleaning or sipping tea! Just describe in your mind everything you notice while sipping your cup or folding the laundry.
Another way to be mindful is to remove any judgment. Describe things nonjudgmentally without using words like best, worst, terrible, etc. One of the biggest things is to not be judgmental to OURSELF. Do not judge yourself for any of your thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
Mindfulness has been a major help this year for me. I have been practicing acting kinder to myself and have slowed down my anxious mind many times using these skills. It is our hope that these skills can help you too. Hang in there, you're doing great.