Relationships are tricky and sometimes sticky!  Think of a situation where you and another person were not in agreement.  Bring mindful awareness to your patterns of communication with this person.  Jot down the following:

• what happened prior to the disagreement
• what you most wanted from the other person
• what the other person most likely wanted from you
• your feelings at the moment of disagreement
• your level of awareness regarding what was really happening
• the outcome

Be as honest and objective as possible.  Refrain from judging yourself or the other person.  You may want to shred or trash the paper after you have processed the experience.   Once you have acknowledged and accepted your emotions, ask yourself what you could have done differently to contribute to a more harmonious outcome.

If it involves setting limits, give yourself permission to do so.  Allow yourself to take care of yourself and honour your personal wellness.  If it involves embracing greater patience and a more open mind, commit to practicing loving-kindness meditation every day.  Repeating phrases such as “May I be peaceful.  May I be happy” and “May you be peaceful.  May you be happy” offers immense healing powers and builds your capacity for unconditional love and acceptance.  For more information on loving-kindness meditations, Mary Brantley and Tesilya Hanauer have written a wonderfully inspiring book titled “The Gift of Loving-Kindness”.

Relationships offer some of the greatest lessons in life.  Whether they are voluntary or involuntary, professional or personal, relationships can be immensely rewarding and extremely challenging.  For those times of great challenge, mindfulness is paramount for dealing effectively with relationship stress and achieving harmony.  Mindfulness allows you to develop greater awareness of your patterns of communication, identify problematic thoughts, and respond consciously and respectfully for mutual benefits.  In the next few posts, there will be several tips for applying mindfulness to relationship challenges.

Tears are healthy.  Tears are a healing.  They help us to release dark emotions from within.  Our body holds hurt until it is released.  How can you release tears from past hurts when you do not feel the urge to cry or if the hurt has been suppressed for so long that you cannot access the hurt buried deep within?

There are several ways in which you can release the hurt.  These include body therapies such as reiki, massage therapy, kundalini yoga, and physical exercise you enjoy.  Other sources include music, movies, and stories with words and images that resonate with your heart.  Explore a variety of ways to find out which method will provide the cathartic release you need.   The most important thing to remember is to continue engaging in life and not to withdraw.  Life is for living and emotions are the essence of being human.  Honour all of your emotions, dark and light, and honour your one great life.

Processing emotions in a healthy way involves adaptive strategies that support long-term wellness.  Along with physical exercise and enlisting a confidant, meditation and  journaling are two other effective strategies proven to heal emotions.

Journaling may involve both writing and drawing.  Creative journaling is a highly effective process that allows insights to be revealed through images.  Enter the sphere of infinite possibilities and potential when you access this right brain approach to wellness.  Try using your non-dominant hand for a change and see what comes up!

Emotional expression is vital for long-term wellness.  As stated in previous posts, suppressed emotions run the risk of developing into harmful physical symptoms.  The key is to allow your emotions to flow freely through without getting stuck on them for too long.  Processing dark emotions in a healthy way is a skill anyone can develop and mindfulness is the way.

Once we acknowledge our emotion and say “I am sad”, I am angry”, “I am confused”, we can then mindfully choose a healthy adaptive response and break old maladaptive habits at the same time.  Quite naturally, excessive television, eating or drinking and impulse shopping fade away as they are replaced by presence in the moment.  Focusing on breath and what serves you best, you may decide that time out in a nurturing environment is the best choice for you, alone or with a supportive person.  This is the turning point to enhanced quality of life.

Repressed emotions live in us like an unhealed wound.  Science confirms that blocked emotions affect us on the cellular level.  Stem cell biologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton reveals evidence of the interconnected nature between thoughts and physical sensations in his widely acclaimed book, “The Biology of Belief”.  Muscle tension, insomnia, and skin rashes are just a few of the many symptoms of unresolved hurts.

The first step to healing repressed emotions is acknowledging them. Accept them the moment they arise.  If you feel angry, allow yourself to feel the anger without denying its presence or downplaying the significance of it.  Saying things like, “I shouldn’t feel this way” only discredits your experience.  Honour your emotion and your experience, then express it and release it in a healthy way.  There are many options for processing emotions that will be discussed in upcoming posts.

Emotions are like people.  They like to be acknowledged and accepted without conditions.  If we deny or suppress our emotions, they do not simply disappear.  Instead, they continue to live within us until something triggers their return.

For instance, sadness may spontaneously emerge when a certain song is played on the radio.  Anger may arise when a dramatic scene is played out on television or real life.  Processing emotions as they arise is vital to on-going wellness.  Mindfulness allows us to acknowledge and accept all of our emotions as they happen and choose healthy, adaptive responses.

Emotions are vital.  They can save your life.  Feelings of fear may signal the need to reassess the situation while feelings of sadness may indicate something in your life requires attention.  Mindfulness helps us to see the value of all emotions.

Whether your mind is filled with anxious thoughts or stomach filled with butterflies, mindfulness allows you to detach from your experiences and observe without judgement.  It is in this place of open awareness where stress dissolves and access to inner peace and wisdom becomes available.

Emotions are the essence of being human.  Without emotions, life would be flat.  One might even go as far as to say, “Life would be lifeless!”

Emotions are energy!  When emotions move through us, they motivate us in one way or another.  A person who feels excitement is motivated to take action while a person who feels nothing may be despondent and lethargic.  Some emotions stay with us for long periods while others visit only briefly and sporadically.  Dark emotions such as anger and sadness may stay longer than we like, blocking our ability to live life fully.

When we hide difficult emotions or deny them, they take residence in our body.  In order to free ourselves from sticky emotions, we need to find ways to release them in a healthy manner.  Mindfulness is a highly effective tool for dealing with difficult emotions.  Anxiety, fear, and sadness can get the better of us if we allow.  The next few posts will offer insights and tips for dealing with difficult emotions and processing them in a healthy and mindful manner!

Peace is always available within.  Mindfulness naturally leads us to our inner oasis.  Through meditation, we come to realize this stillness within is always accessible regardless the level of difficulty we face.  When we accept each moment as it is,  we embrace presence on purpose.  We realize that we only have moments to live and it is in these moments that the richness, beauty and magic of life lies.  Take a deep breath and appreciate what is here right now.  Our overall health and aliveness depends on it!