Breathe & Smile

This is the advice of Thich Nhat Hanh in "Peace is Every Step The Path to Mindfulness in Everyday Life." I guess that's easy enough to remember and now I have a couple post it notes splattered around to remind me. It is not very helpful in informing actions, really. There are some great steps to coping with emotions.

1. Acknowledge the feeling
2. Invite and welcome it rather than shun or push it away... Hello Fear!
3. Calm yourself and breath. Be present to the emotion. The example is a mother with a crying child. The child may only stop fussing if the mother pays un-distracted attention to it. I so appreciate this example... now I better understand... "be present..."
4. Release it, let it go. Smile
5. Look deeper for the cause as you may notice the same sorts of things eliciting the same emotions over and over.

I'm not happy if I do
or if I don't
it doesn't seem to matter
I'm just not satisfied either way
for long any way

I'm deprived if I don't
I'm sluggish if I do
I'm obsessing if I don't
I'm obsessing if I do
I'm inspired for a while if I don't
but it doesn't last for long
the old ways return
and I'm back in the grind

I'm sick of the thoughts
do or don't did or didn't
It just makes me ill
to think of it all at all 
any longer. that's it

I'm in a loose loose
bad bad
down down
fucking rut again
I'm pissed if I do
and only temporarily free if I don't

There is no decision
that is a myth
it's divine intervention
that's all there is to it
so I'll persist and I'll wait
is it bottom I need?
Damned if I do
Damned if I don't
Fuck, fuck, fuck... 
I'm so sick of this feed.

Acknowledge that!