Day 24: Working with Emotions

Welcome to 40 Days of Mindfulness and Compassion Day 24!

 

Lecture

Emotions give our lives meaning. They operate in every aspect of living and play an active part of all relationships. They come in many different feeling tones, intensity and levels of subtlety. They are, to a large degree, the source of our highest highs and lowest lows. Our relationship to them can become problematic if it becomes reactionary or blinded. Sometimes we use phrases such as “blinded by anger” that implicitly acknowledge the power that emotions can have to overtake us.

Paul Eckman discusses emotions from the perspective of evolutionary biology. A few aspects of his model of emotions are useful to understanding emotions from a first-person perspective: 1) it is important to recognize the physiological basis of emotions. Emotions can be very “raw” and near to the core. They arise organically and physiologically in response to cues from the environment.  2) Emotions are intricately involved in appraisal. As biological creatures, we are constantly scanning our environments for threats and desirable objects etc.

3) Once in the grip of a strong emotion this scanning process is overtaken by the emotion. We “see” the world through the “eyes” of the emotion. For instance, I might be wearing anger goggles.  In this instance, I notice and give importance to things in my environment that reinforce this anger and ignore or minimize the importance of things in the environment that do not reinforce this anger. Thus, my perceptions are effected by confirmation bias. Basically, I see what my anger wants me to see, which 4) motivates me to act. Emotions, at least at the primal level, motivate us to do something and to be prepared to do something quickly. For instance, anger primes us to remove a threat that is blocking us from something that we want. Fear emerges when we perceive something that is threatening to us. And, the emotions themselves can trigger further emotions.

To me, this account of emotions if helpful from a first-person perspective because it may assist in becoming more mindful of what is actually occurring in our emotional life. With practice, it might be possible to become adept at being aware of the trajectory of emotions, when they trigger and then develop force, and of the refractory period that we are under its sway. Becoming more mindful of emotions and emotional patterns can be very beneficial because it can provide the opportunity to pause and respond instead of react. This can provide a sense of freedom and choice. Gradually, it is possible to observe and be with an emotional experience, without being completely overtaken by it.

One of the most effective ways of working with emotions is through the lens of compassion, which is what we will do in today’s practice.

 

Meditation Tips

Meditation Tip #24: Develop a Core Practice. If you discover a practice that you really resonate with, then consider taking this practice as a daily practice for some time, like a week or a month, to notice its effects on you.

Day 24: Working with Difficult Emotions

 

Self-Reflective Activity

 Try to pause periodically throughout the day during your daily activities. Just pause and breathe for a bit, then very gently look at your current experience. Ask yourself: “How is my emotional experience right now? What is the flavor of my emotional experience right now? (You can substitute any word that makes sense to you for “flavor.”) Observe and gently note what is there.

 

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