3 Reasons To Use Mindfulness To Be With Your Feelings (And How To Do It)

Diane Barnett
Jul 20, 2017 · 2 min read

Feelings can be a gateway to either heaven or hell. Mindfulness offers us the freedom to choose which of these paths we take. Here are 3 reasons why using mindfulness to be present with our feelings is so important and 3 simple tips on how to do it.

1. Dispelling the happiness myth

One of the biggest myths about feelings is that they’re either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. We all know those ‘negative’ feelings, the ones we don’t like, that make us uncomfortable. But however uncomfortable they may be, they’re an important part of being human. We’re rather cleverly designed to feel the full spectrum of human emotions, each having it’s natural place in our lives. If we judge some of our feelings as negative, we struggle against natural emotions like anger and sadness.

The truth is, we don’t become better people by only having some emotions and not others. We all experience sadness, anxiety, grief, anger and fear as well as joy and love. Growth rather comes from how we relate to our emotions and knowing how to be with them.

The other great myth we commonly buy into is the happiness myth. This idea is that our natural emotional state is one of happiness and if we’re not happy, there’s something wrong with us. It suggests we should be able to change our feelings and thoughts to ‘be happy’ and that if we can’t, we need help.

Feeling anxious or depressed at times is completely normal, especially in our splintered and individualistic society. Rather than believing we need to change our emotions, we need to learn how to be with them, whatever they are.

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