Awareness Practice – Emotions, Moods, and Mental Stories

Practice awareness and understanding. Are your emotions and mental stories necessary? Is your mind in the present moment or is it in the past or future? If you are not in the present moment, are the stories and emotions needed and helpful? If not, maybe you just want to let them go. If they are strong, they will be hard to let go when you are first learning. Habits, concepts, judgements, and opinions will take over and you will go into autopilot. When this happens, it is still helpful to learn to be aware of what just took place after it happened. In the beginning, simple issues and emotions will be workable, and over time more stressful issues can be addressed.

Be aware of your emotions and moods while around other people. Do their emotions and moods affect your emotions and moods? When they leave do these emotions stay with you, or do they leave quickly? It is good to feel for those around us, but it is also helpful to let go of difficult feelings that can cause you problems. Know when you are feeling good, and learn to let go when you are feeling bad.