The Good Egg: Pause, Breathe, Label, Repeat

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Rise and Shine you Sunny-side Up Good-Eggers,

Today, we’re going to address one of the most common misconceptions surrounding mindfulness and meditation.

How often have you heard the following: “If I just meditate, I’ll be able to get rid of my anxiety, fears, and frustration!”

Makes sense right — if I just become like Buddha, I won’t FEEL anything.

Wrong.

Matthias Birk recently wrote in Harvard Business Review, “That’s a potentially harmful misunderstanding — in fact, mindfulness can help us get in touch with our feelings and overcome a tendency most of us have to bypass them. Bypassing is harmful not only to our own health and well-being, but also to our relationships with others. Research suggests that professionals who are trained to fake their feelings are much more likely to experience physical and mental health challenges.”

Meditation does not help us avoid, ignore or “bypass” pain. Instead, meditation helps us observe and recognize those stressors.

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So, try this simple tactic the next time you’re overwhelmed with fear, anger or anxiety:

1. Pause (for a few minutes, seriously… it’s just a couple minutes)

2. Breathe… and as you do, try to recognize where in your body you FEEL the anxiety

3. Name or label that feeling and that emotion (simply observing and not judging is the key)

4. Repeat

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If we simply observe and recognize the feelings, we’ll begin our journey to properly managing those same emotions. That’s mindful living! For more, check out Harvard Business Review.

Pause, Breathe, Label, Repeat…

-The Good Egg 🐣