Emotions as messengers

Anger, fear, sadness are not enemies to defeat. They are information about your inner state. To suppress them is to cut the phone line just as it rings.

Mindfulness doesn't ask you not to feel. It asks you to feel without being overwhelmed. The difference is enormous.

When an emotion arises, the practice is to name it: "I notice anger." Not "I am angry." Naming an emotion can create a little distance from the experience for some people. Research on affect labeling examines changes in reported emotion and brain activity, but it does not justify a guaranteed personal effect or a simple prefrontal-cortex explanation.

You don't become the emotion. You observe it.

The next time a strong emotion arises: place a hand on your heart, name what you feel, breathe three times. That's all.