When our brain registers that we are stuck in some way… telling ourselves a story – Oh you’re bad, you’re failing, something is wrong with you. Or when we notice we are stuck in a familiar anxious feeling… or resorting to an addictive behavior that we know numbs us… if we pause, create space for the feeling , we can begin to break out of this trance. This sacred act of pause can support you in dismantling the habits that create suffering.
Pause and change that pattern.
Paraphrased from a podcast by Tara Brach –
Tara Brach is an American psychologist, author, and proponent of Buddhist meditation. She is a guiding teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C.
REFLECTION:
- What story are you telling yourself?
- Is it positive or negative?
- Is it a repeating pattern?
- Next time you are overcome with negative thoughts or anxiety, pause. Try it, it works!