Dealing with Negative Emotions (Part 1)

The article is written by Yoga Meditation Specialist Chu Thi Nha - Unit of Regenerative Medicine Clinic and Educational Psychology

Surely in each of us there are times when we feel frustrated, annoyed, sad, disappointed, .... and each of us has different ways of reacting to those stress, unwanted emotions. difference.

However, there is a useful exercise not only with stimuli but also with situations where we have to deal with negative emotions or pain. Here is an excerpt from Chade-Meng Tan's book "Search Inside Yourself" that I want to share with you, we can practice following this helpful exercise:
This exercise has five steps:
Stop Breathe Breathe Notice Notice Reflect Respond The first and most important step is to stop. Whenever you find yourself getting irritated, stop. Pausing at the first moment of stimulation is an important and very effective skill. Don't react at all, just for a moment. This moment is known as the divine pause. It is the condition that makes up all the remaining steps. If you can only remember one step in this exercise, remember this step. In nearly all cases, this step should be enough to make a difference.
The next step is to breathe. By focusing the mind on the breath, we strengthen the divine pause. In addition, conscious breathing, especially deep breathing, calms the body and mind.

After breathing, pay attention. Experience the emotion by bringing attention to the breath. How does it feel on the body? On the face, neck, shoulders, chest and back? Pay attention to changes in stress levels and temperature. Apply meditation by experiencing it moment to moment without judgment. The most important thing in this moment is to try to experience emotional discomfort as if it were simply a physiological phenomenon, rather than an ontological one. For example, if you are experiencing anger then your observation is not “I am angry” but “I am experiencing anger in my body”
Time to reflect. Where did that feeling come from? Is there a story behind it? Is it related to a distorted self-perception? Don't judge it as right or wrong, let's just bring this objectivity into the situation. If this experience involves another person, put yourself inside that person and look at yourself. Think of these:
Everyone wants to be happy. This person thinks that acting like this will make him happy in some way. Again, perceive it without judging it as right or wrong.
Finally, we react . Bring to mind ways you can react to this situation to produce a positive outcome. You don't really have to do it – just imagine the most positive, loving response. How is it?