The Difference Between »Feeling« And »Being« OR: Don’t Feed It If You Don’t Want It
We feel everyday. An emotion, a premunition, a small feeling creeps in. Positive or negative, but nothing more than an impulse. It grows if we feed it. Then the little feeling that didn’t exist a second ago becomes a stained window through which we see.
We get lost in thought 41% of our waking time: we get restless, we get angry, we get sad, we surrender to the bombardment of our impulses. But even if those thoughts and ideas are from you, they’re not you. They only become you when you start to identify with them. A lot of us may »feel« overwhelmed at times, which is perfectly ok. However, there’s a big difference between »feeling« and »being« overwhelmed. One is noticing it, the other is giving yourself up to it and letting it drive.
»the more you do it, the better you get.«
You cannot actively change what your mind throws at you. And reacting with our biased attention leads to an intense embrace that overwhelms. However, you can train to notice a thought and let it go. Or instead of fighting a negative emotion, observe how its intensity rises and slowly dies out on it’s own if you don’t jump on it. Taking moments to observe your own though patterns without reacting and judging them decreases their importance and intensity. Every attempt rewards with progress. The more you do it, the better you get. And as if it’s a Kinder Surprise, focus and mindfulness follow.