Oakville Zen Meditation
Managing our restless moody mind
It is mainly our moods as much as anything else that determine our quality of life.
As we wander through many daily moods, it is important to remember that each mood positive and negative involves a choice. We have the choice to assume responsibility for the genesis and content of our moods or be their prey.
The difference between the two options is the difference between having control of our emotional life or being the victim of it. When we blame our moods on people/events all we do is get more upset even miserable. A perfect catch-22.
There are thousands of compelling reasons for each lousy mood, but the main mistake is thinking that our moods just happen spontaneously rather than being a product of our mind's creativity.
Taking responsibility for our moods gives us better control over our well-being.
When we recognize our total complicity in the genesis and content of our moods, we can engage our creative powers and design more enjoyable lives for ourselves.
Unfortunately, the best time to work on our moods is when we are in our worst feelings. But, fortunately, engaging in bad moods with creativity will make them acceptable Example:
Anger is one of the bad moods that are hardest to work through creatively because anger tends to shut off creativity. Whether we blame ourselves, another person, the weather, or the world, anger doesn’t allow much space for response. Everything said or done in anger will make things worse, so the best thing to do with anger is to recognize it, name it, accept it, and try to let it pass before we hurt somebody. Nothing more but very difficult
to achieve.
Also, don’t be your self-psychoanalyst that is the why-what-how-when of your anger.
It is adding oil to the fire by becoming more and more emotional about the trigger.
Taking conscious breaths, going for a walk, drinking a glass of water, and eating some chocolate may tame somewhat your current demon but it is far from being enough.
Again, is there another way? YES, The simple act of recognizing a negative mood, observing and accepting it is a wise way, that is taking responsibility for your restless mind.
It is the foundation of a new habit that can make all moods either positive or negative far more manageable because you desensitize yourself from your emotions.
That habit, when practiced during moments of misery or amusement throughout the day, will help greatly. It doesn’t quell any feeling in the heat of the moment, but it builds tolerance and familiarity, especially to the various negative emotions that formerly might have triggered our outbursts.
Life is full of surprises that will continue to grab us and make us sad, scared, happy, lonely, angry and so on, but when we practice each feeling with creation rather than reaction, and, then, let it go, we will manage everything much better, and your quality of life such as social and professional relationships will benefit from it.
The approach that I just described is exactly the same one that we are using during mindfulness meditation. In fact, practicing a short sitting meditation during the day while facing one of your demons is an excellent way to practice your creativity which is observing, accepting, and let them go. You become the hunter rather than the prey. TX
