Photo by Ezechiel Kouassi on Unsplash

🧘‍♀️Unplug, Breathe, Thrive 🧘‍♂️

“Emotions are like waves; they rise and fall, but they always pass.”

Whatever makes you glad to be alive - do that,  whenever you can. 

📅 Next Sessions:

• Online: Tuesday, April 7th, 7 PM ET
• In-Person: Thursday, April 9th, 7 PM ET 185 Lincoln St. Suite 300, Hingham (Crow Point Pizza Plaza)

This Week's Focus: Difficult Emotions

Key Points:

·  Judgmental thoughts make emotions worse. Thinking “I can’t stand this” or “It isn’t right to feel this way” fuels difficult emotions and causes them to stick around longer.

·  “Sitting with” emotions is a healthier alternative. Instead of reacting immediately, observe the emotion as it moves through your body with curiosity and without trying to change or push it away.

·  Emotions are temporary; respond once they soften. All emotions naturally rise, peak, and subside if you let them. After the intensity passes, you can think clearly and choose how you want to respond to the situation.

🆓 The teachings are given freely! If group meditation has enlarged and enriched your life, please consider donating to its nourishment with a donation. Your support makes all the difference. (Donations welcome via VENMO @Eileen-Shaw-8)

👉 RSVP Now to Join Zoom Meeting or reserve a seat for In-Person Group Meditation (eileenjshaw@mac.com)

“It is very difficult to accept in others emotions you cannot accept in yourself.” -Nathaniel Brandon

Join our community and rediscover your inner peace. 

All levels welcome!

Questions? Reach out to eileenjshaw@mac.com

Sitting With Discomfort: A Healthier Way to Handle Difficult Emotions

Whether you’ve had a row with a loved one or a rough day at the office, healthy coping skills are essential for getting through tough times. Coping skills help you tolerate, minimize, and deal with stressful situations. When managed well, stress can improve your physical and psychological health—and your ability to perform at your best.

But here’s the problem: our thoughts about our emotions often backfire. When a strong feeling arises, we might think, “I can’t stand feeling this way,” or “It isn’t right that I feel so bad.” These judgments fuel the emotion, making it stick around longer and intensify. We end up fighting ourselves rather than the original situation.

There is a different approach. Instead of reacting immediately, try to “sit with” the difficult emotion. Observe it as it ebbs and flows through your body. Notice where you feel it—tightness in your chest? a knot in your stomach? Don’t try to change it or push it away. Simply watch it with curiosity.

All emotions are temporary. They arise, peak, and then naturally subside—if we let them. By staying present and allowing the feeling to be there without judgment, you create space. The emotion begins to soften on its own.

Once the intensity has passed, you regain access to your wise mind. From this calmer place, you can think clearly about how you want to respond to the situation—rather than reacting automatically out of anger, fear, or shame.

Learning to sit with difficult emotions takes practice, but it’s a coping skill that builds resilience. Next time a strong feeling shows up, pause. Breathe. Observe. Let it move through you. Then choose your response.