One of the ways of being tuned in to the present moment, regardless of what it feels like, is by shifting your perspective towards emotions that are considered to be unpleasant. We use the words “emotions” and “feelings” interchangeably in this post. Unpleasant emotions might include feelings of shame, sadness, regret, disappointment, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, and so on. Sometimes, these emotions can overwhelm with their intensity. It may seem like they are unbearable and one has to retreat or avoid these feelings at any cost. The harder one works to push these feelings away however, the tighter they seem to cling as part of our present moment experience.
How can we approach such moments by using the practice of mindfulness? Being willing to embrace the present moment, however unlikeable it may seem, with an attitude of curiosity and non-judgment, is not necessarily simple or easy. Hence the word, practice! Even being able to remain open to the emotions for a moment in time is a step forward in the personal journey to being more mindfully aware. And, as one practices this intention and approach to the events arising in a day, these moments of present-centered awareness build over time. Over time, there may be a string of moments in which one is able to sustain a stance of mindful awareness.
Besides anchoring one’s awareness in the present moment awareness by use of visual imagery, poetry and reflections are another source of artistic inspiration reminding us to return focus back into the present – the only moment we ever really have. Here is a poem by the Sufi poet Rumi, often used within Mindfulness-Based therapies, to help describe the attitude of acceptance for unpleasant emotions that sometimes arise. The intention is to BE with the feelings just as they are, rather than doing anything to them to enhance or suppress them. We hope that this poem will inspire you the next time you have an opportunity to hold a difficult emotion without instinctively pushing it away.
The Guest House
Jalaluddin Rumi
Translated by Coleman Barks
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Jalaluddin Rumi
from Rumi: Selected Poems, trans Coleman Barks with John Moynce, A. J. Arberry, Reynold Nicholson (Penguin Books, 2004)
Reproduced from: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/guest-house/